Unicorn Birthday Cake

Chocolate chip banana bread is the sweet, moist taste of regular banana bread with melty-chocolatey vibes that delight me anytime someone mentions chocolate chips.

Whether you need a perfect snack in your day, sugar yourself up and/or do something with all those overripe bananas on your counter– this is the recipe for you. The best part? This is quick to make and appeals to all the family!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For this easy and delicious chocolate chip banana bread recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (you can reduce this to ½ cup for a less sweet version)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add-ins:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Follow these simple steps to create your delicious chocolate chip banana bread:

Preheat the Oven

Set oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.

Combine Dry Ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. This makes sure that the baking soda is spread out throughout the top and it will increase your loaf.

Mix Wet Ingredients

In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or a potato masher. Combine the melted butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract with the mashed bananas until well mixed

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

Gently stir in dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Overmixing will make the banana bread heavy, so go easy on it.

Add Chocolate Chips

Gently fold in the chocolate chips. If you want to add some extra chocolatey goodness to the recipe reserve a tablespoon of chocolate chips and sprinkle them on top of the batter before baking.

Bake the Bread

Spread the batter in a loaf pan, and smooth with a spatula. Add the chocolate chips (that you had set aside) on top as well. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are ok but there shouldn’t be any wet batter).

Cool and Serve

Cool banana bread in a pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and eat the bread once cooled!

Tips and Tricks

• Use overripe bananas: the best bananas for this recipe are those that have overripened with brown spots. The more ripe the bananas, the tastier and sweeter banana bread you will have.
• Overmixing: As you mix the dry and wet ingredients, stir just until they are combined. Overmixing yields a tougher, more dense loaf.
• Customize it: Toss in a handful of small nuts such as walnuts or pecans for crunch and a unique taste. You could also replace the chocolate chips and use white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips as well.
• Storage: Place the banana bread in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. It is also able to stay in the freezer for 3 months. All you do is tightly wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and then a freezer bag.

Variations of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This recipe is easy to customize based on your preferences:

• Healthier option: Use whole wheat flour (for fibre!). Its sweetness can either be lowered by using less sugar or by sweetening it with natural sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup.
• Gluten-Free Option: Replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend suitable for baking. Hint: xantham gum (or another binding agent) to hold the shape of the bread.
• Gluten-Free Vegan: Use melted coconut oil or a non-dairy margarine and replace the egg with a flaxseed egg (whisk together one tablespoon of ground flax + three tablespoons warm water).
• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: For chocolate lovers, make this a double-chocolate banana bread by adding some cocoa powder to the batter. Swap in ¼ cup of the flour for cocoa powder, and fold in extra chocolate chips to translate into a nice hearty double chocolate cookie.

• Nutty Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Mix chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds into the batter for a buttery crunch that complements the pillowy bread and drippy chocolate chips. The nuts also add a bit of crunch to the sweet chocolate chips and bulk up the bread.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: For a peanut butter twist, (swirl in a few tablespoons of peanut butter in the batter before baking) Always a win: Peanut Butter, Banana + Chocolate.

Conclusion

Chocolate chip banana bread is a delicious change-up to a classic breakfast recipe that can be served any time of day. You really cannot go wrong with eating this banana bread with the deep flavours of chocolate and sweet, ripe bananas as a breakfast indulgence, snack, or dessert.

This recipe is uncomplicated and quick to make; you will be whipping up this dish in a hurry over and over! So, pull out those too-ripe bananas, preheat your oven and bake yourself up a piece of warm and chocolatey banana bread!