I love banana bread, but every time I mention making some – which is more often than most people, I admit – my fiancé says, “Oh, yes, with chocolate chips! Mmm!”

But there, we arrive at a crossroads.

I’m actually not a fan of just adding chocolate chips. Somehow, it just doesn’t work for me. It’s not that I don’t like chocolate, because I love chocolate too. If anything, I like it more than Therese does, because the only real complaint I have about adding chocolate chips to banana bread is that it’s not enough chocolate.

So this is the recipe I cooked up to make us both happy, and satisfy my banana bread craving. It should satisfy yours too: most recipes don’t seem to call for enough chocolate chips, but I’ve got you covered.

I made chocolate banana bread yesterday, and I’m eating it mostly by myself. That seems to be what happens most of the time with really good chocolate banana bread. If you’re trying to lose weight, you should probably do yourself a favor and save this to Pinterest, but stop reading! This isn’t going to help you stick to your diet. Save it for later when you can afford the calories.

Ideally, make it for a time when you’re entertaining some guests! Then you can all have a slice, maybe two, before it’s used up. You won’t have to resist eating the whole loaf if it’s gone.

I enjoy making banana bread. It’s kind of therapeutic for me. It’s easy, I just mix it up, put it in the oven and go about my day. I can sit back and watch some TV, or work on my computer for an hour or so while it bakes. I do like to be near the kitchen, because of the smell. I like the smell of regular banana bread baking, but this chocolate banana bread smell is way better. Most of my house smells like chocolate when it’s in the oven.

No need for scented candles when this is baking. That’s not the reason I make it though. The reason I make it is because it’s extremely tasty. And… it stops me from buying donuts. Which are definitely the unhealthier option. I can eat donuts indefinitely, but this banana bread is surprisingly filling. Sometimes I’m actually satisfied after a single slice.

Makes one loaf.

Ingredients

• 3 extra ripe, mashed bananas
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together. Don’t leave any lumps of cocoa.
3. In a larger bowl, mash the bananas and mix in the butter, sugar and oil until even. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until they’re incorporated, but then stop! You don’t want to over mix.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing as you add. Again, don’t overmix.
5. Add 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips. You don’t need an electric mixer for this; it’s enough to gently mix them in with a spatula or fork.
6. Pour into a 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips on top of the batter.
7. Put in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

I’d check on it at 55 minutes, just to be careful.

The moistness of the bread is critical, so check it with a toothpick in the center before you think it’s done just to be on the safe side. It doesn’t need to come out completely clean (remember, it’s filled with melting chocolate chips) so you’re just verifying the batter isn’t raw. Once the toothpick comes out without a lot of crumbs sticking to it, it’s done!

Let it cool for 15 – 20 minutes before eating. If you’re saving it for another day, wrap it up in foil as soon as you can to preserve the moistness of your delicious, chocolatey bread.

Enjoy!

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