Description
This rich and moist Chocolate Banana Bread combines the natural sweetness of ripe bananas with deep cocoa flavor and melty semisweet chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast or a dessert treat, this easy-to-make loaf is soft, fudgy, and full of chocolatey goodness, baked to perfection in a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large brown bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil)
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided (3/4 cup for batter, 1/4 cup for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside to ensure the bread doesn’t stick during baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt until evenly combined. Set this mixture aside for later.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, mash the ripe brown bananas thoroughly with a fork. Add the melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter along with the canola oil and stir until combined. Next, mix in the packed light brown sugar, the room temperature egg, and pure vanilla extract, stirring until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually stir the dry ingredient mixture into the wet banana mixture, being careful not to overmix to avoid a dense bread. Then fold in 3/4 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips evenly into the batter.
- Prepare for Baking: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips evenly over the surface of the batter to add a melty chocolate topping during baking.
- Bake the Bread: Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 65 minutes. Test the bread for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out mostly clean, although some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick are normal. Begin checking at 50 minutes to prevent overbaking as oven temperatures can vary.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the loaf from the oven and set it on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges to loosen and carefully remove the bread from the pan. Allow it to cool further on the wire rack until slightly warm before slicing and serving.
Notes
- The bread keeps well at room temperature for up to 4 days when wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
- This banana bread freezes very well: cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 1 month.
- To enjoy after freezing, thaw completely before slicing.
- Do not overmix the batter to maintain a light and tender crumb.
- If using a different size loaf pan, adjust baking time accordingly.
