Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I really dont like Banana nut bread. The smell of it, while some people love it, makes me feel sick to my stomach. Why? Could be bad banana flavored meds when I was a kid or too many banana candies or I could just simply not like banana flavored things.

I dont put bananas in smoothies and anything short of an almost green banana turns my stomach. Why am I sharing this with you, you ask. Because I have found the very best banana bread recipe ever. It is so good even I, the hater of all things banana, love it!

I found the recipe in some magazine years ago and have tweeked it so much since then that I am certain the barely resembles the original, where ever it may have come from. I tried the recipe only because I had a friend who, somehow, came into ownership of three large boxes of ripe bananas and since one man can only eat so many bananas he decided to share.

This bread is moist and has the faint taste of banana, but somehow retains the flavor of fresh bananas, not overly ripe and extra sweet smelling ones. I added the chocolate chips because when I made the recipe the first time I discovered, mid recipe, that I had no walnuts. I never intended to like these, or even eat them. I had to try one, just on case they were awful...I wouldn't want to make anyone sick. I planned to give them away as fast as possible, but kept almost all of them for myself because they were so damned good.

I have gotten rave reviews from true banana bread lovers and from others, like myself, who normally abstain from all things banana. I promise you will not be disappointed and the extras freeze beautifully!


Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons butter (you can use applesauce here to reduce fat)
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 3 mashed, ripe bananas
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Chopped walnuts to top

Preheat oven to 350F; Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and powder.

In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in buttermilk, eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.

Fold the banana mixture and chocolate chips into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, or scoop into muffin tins. Top with chopped walnuts.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes for bread or 18-22 minutes for muffins or mini loaves, just until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.