What’s your response to stress?
Do you crank the music to eleven and jump on the treadmill? Text your friends silly memes all day, to spark a brief giggle? Clean the closets? Reorganize an already-sparkling pantry? We all have our own coping mechanisms for dealing with the current situation of the world. Mine is to cook… and eat, but I try to keep that in check by feeding others!
In times like these, I find myself going back to the recipes of my childhood. A time when I wasn’t thinking about public health, or if toilet paper would be stocked in the grocery store. Boo-boos were kissed away by your mom, and there was a sense all was right with the world, even if you didn’t understand most of it. My hands start itching to make simple foods that will fill the house with warmth & memory. My banana bread recipe is a quintessential American recipe that does just that.
My kids go ape for bananas (see what I did there? #momjoke) and I always have a rotation of yellow bunches on the kitchen counter. This recipe is great for overripe bananas, and I spruce it up a bit with premium cocoa, sour cream, and chocolate chips. My Double Chocolate Banana Bread comes out of the oven moist, chocolatey, and full of banana flavor. With a slight sour cream note and plenty of cinnamon, we love this bread for breakfast, especially with a cold glass of milk.
When my kids look back at this anxious time, I hope they remember their Mom & Dad as their safety net. Morning hugs, brothers as playmates, and maybe even the aroma of bananas, cinnamon, and chocolate in the air will stick with them. I hope it’ll give our boys that sense of security & comfort that only home cooking can provide.
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
makes 2 loaves
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3 large ripe bananas, peeled & mashed
1/2 cup butter, melted & cooled
1/2 cup regular sour cream
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar for topping (optional)
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Take two bread pans and lightly grease them with butter. Add a strip of parchment paper (this lets the bread release from the pan a little more easily) lengthwise. Reserve.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher. Add the melted & cooled butter, sour cream, brown sugar, white sugar, and 1 egg. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Fork-mix.
Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet mixture. Stir to just combine. Don’t overmix this.
Next, add your chocolate chips and gently mix to incorporate.
Portion your banana bread batter evenly between the two prepared bread pans and smooth the top evenly with a rubber spatula or small offset palette knife.
Sprinkle the batter with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 45 minutes at 350F, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each loaf comes out cleanly.
Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack. Let the bread cool in the pan completely.
This banana bread freezes very well, in case you want to have some in reserve!
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 3 large ripe bananas peeled & mashed
- 1/2 cup butter melted & cooled
- 1/2 cup regular sour cream
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Take two bread pans and lightly grease them with butter. Add a strip of parchment paper (this lets the bread release from the pan a little more easily) lengthwise. Reserve.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher. Add the melted & cooled butter, sour cream, brown sugar, white sugar, and 1 egg. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Fork mix.
- Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet mixture. Stir to just combine. Don’t overmix this.
- Next, add your chocolate chips and gently mix to incorporate.
- Portion your banana bread batter evenly between the two prepared bread pans and smooth the top evenly with a rubber spatula or small offset palette knife.
- Sprinkle the batter with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 50 minutes at 350F, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each loaf comes out cleanly.
- Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack. Let the bread cool in the pan completely.
Video
Double Chocolate Banana Bread by straighttothehipsbaby on Jumprope.
Laura says
I made this recipe with my daughters and we loved it! We used milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet chocolate chips, and the banana bread was wonderful! It made the house smell great too.
straighttothehipsbaby says
Isn’t it just the best smell!? I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe! Cheers! P.S. Love the idea of the milk chocolate chips!
Gretchen says
Hi! I made this the other day for a playdate. I was wondering could I leave out the brown sugar or use an alternative sweetener like Truvia or Monkfruit? Thanks!
straighttothehipsbaby says
Hi! You could leave out the brown sugar, but the depth of flavor will change. I’ve used granulated monkfruit before with this recipe, and it turned out great! I wouldn’t use it for the topping though, it doesn’t quite work as well as raw sugar. I’ve heard good things about Truvia Blend for baking to. Good luck!
Christine Foley says
What size pans? Can I use one larger bread pan insteead?
straighttothehipsbaby says
Hello! I’ve always used 2 9.5 inch X 5 inch bread loaf pans. I wouldn’t advise going larger than than, because the baking time and temperature would have to drastically change. Cheers!