So a banana bread is a banana bread, right? Not quite. I have a love/hate relationship with this banana bread recipe. Love: this banana bread will come out perfectly moist 100% of the time. Hate: I can no longer see family or certain friends without bringing a few loaves. I like trying new bread recipes but this one gets asked for (especially by my children) ALL THE TIME. My mom also asked for the recipe a few years ago and now she can't go anywhere without making banana bread either.
This is the banana bread recipe that has made its way around the world, has caused me to forge friendships with neighbors, has made it into Christmas lists, and quite possibly the only reason I still get invited to family functions. This, and jams. Don't get me started on the jams.
This chocolate chip banana bread only requires a few ingredients and can be converted into banana bread muffins easily. It can be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled with hardly any additional effort. You can also add/substitute chopped nuts or leave plain. For a more complex flavor, instead of using 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, do half and half with brown sugar. The world is your oyster.
I've made this recipe probably a hundred times by now and I've gone through maybe 20 bread pans (since I'm too lazy to gift the bread in a different container). I have now invested in a silicone bread pan and it is worth every penny! No more bread stuck to pans, no more scrubbing away at stuck bits, but also, no more gifting banana bread in bread pans. This one is mine!
I also like to enlist my kids' help with this recipe (mostly because I'm so tired of making it) since this requires nothing more than a potato masher and a spatula to make. No electric or stand mixers needed! Plus, they're kind of cute so there is that.
See? Aaaaaaadorable!
Ingredients
4 brown, overripe bananas (if frozen, thaw first), peeled
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar (can be mixed with brown sugar) or more if you prefer sweeter bread
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas along with the melted butter using a potato masher.
Add sugar, salt, vanilla, baking soda, and egg. Mix well using a rubber/silicone spatula.
Fold in the flour half a cup at a time until all the flour is mixed in and no lumps are visible. Do not overmix. Add a handful (or two) of semisweet chocolate chips and fold in.
Pour the mixture into a greased bread pan or silicone bread pan. Top with more chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 60 minutes or until done. Test by using a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out dry from the middle of the loaf, the bread is done.
Let rest for at least 1 hour before taking bread out of bread pan, otherwise it will disintegrate. Keep in an airtight container.
To convert into banana bread muffins
Preheat oven to 375.
Grease muffin tins (this will make about 12-16 mini muffins), you can use muffin paper if you like but I pour the mixture straight into the tins. Fill each slot about 2/3 of the way full to leave room for the muffin to rise.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until done (this varies on how big your muffin tins are and how full they were filled). The best test is still the toothpick test!
Allow muffins to cool completely before removing from muffin tins.
Adapted from: Eating On A Dime
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