Banana bread is probably one of the first things I learned to bake, and it quickly became the most common baked product in our house. I still don’t know if it was on purpose or by pure accident- but basically we would end up buying too many bananas that were going too ripe too quickly and needed to use them up- hence, banana bread.
This was back in middle school, so you can imagine how many banana breads I’ve baked up over the years. Suffice it to say, I’ve been pretty adamant about making sure I don’t buy too many bananas +/- not baking any more banana bread.
Well, the tough thing about that decision was…I actually really like banana bread. I know, I know! I’m difficult. But really? There’s just something great about a warm slice of banana bread with a cup of coffee in the morning, ya know? But I knew that I was tired of baking the same old recipe that I’ve done for years. It was time for a change. Some times you try something, throw together ingredients and hope for the best. As bakers, we hope that it works out- but we are prepared for trial and error. I went in thinking that this would be a first try of many- and man, was I wrong! Surprisingly enough, this was a success from the first attempt! So if you love chocolate and bananas, this recipe perfectly balances them both.
- 3 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 medium sized banana for topping
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 1/4 cup AP flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and egg. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the AP flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar together.
- Add the wet mixture into the large mixing bowl and fold in.
- Add vegetable oil and whisk until no dry clumps remain.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Slice remaining banana in half vertically. Place cut side up on top of batter in pan.
- Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
