Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
The absolute best kind of banana bread is the kind with a little chocolate in it! This incredibly moist, and flavorful Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips is a fantastic way to use up overripe bananas, is perfect for a quick breakfast or snack, and is a fun recipe for kids to help make.
Why Make Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips?
Banana consumption is hard to gauge in my house. Every week I buy roughly 6 bananas. Some weeks, everyone just loooooooves bananas and they are gone in a day! Other weeks, one or two get eaten, and the rest sit in our fruit bowl turning mushy and brown and looking more and more “un-aPEELing” each day (see what I did there!?).
But, the softer and riper bananas get, the sweeter they get. And the sweeter they get, the better that they are for baking.
So those lucky, unwanted bananas on my counter typically get baked into rich, deliciously moist banana bread with chocolate chips. Mmmmm.
If you have extra blueberries or raspberries at the end of the week too, try my Easy Blueberry Muffins or my Easy Lemon Raspberry Muffins.
Can You Eat Black Bananas?
Yes! Actually, the riper the banana, the better its going to be for baking because it will be more moist and have a higher sugar content that less ripe bananas.
Basically, any time brown spots begin to appear on the banana, they are ready for baking. Wait a few more days, and they will be even better.
Just make sure that you don’t wait too long and the banana becomes rotten. If it has mold on the peel, or a sour smell, it has rotted and needs to be thrown away.
How Do You Freeze Bananas?
If your bananas are over-ripe but you aren’t baking any time soon, freeze them!
I like to keep the peel on as they will stay fresher in the freezer longer than peeled bananas.
Simply put the entire banana in a ziploc bag, seal it, and place it in your freezer. It will last in freezer for up to 6 months. It will turn black and this is normal, so don’t freak out.
When you are ready to use, simply let it come to room temperature on the counter or pop it in the microwave to defrost and soften. Then remove peel (I usually cut it off with the tip of a sharp pairing knife), and mash the banana for baking. If there is any liquid, just pour it off.
What Ingredients Do You Need for Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips?
- bananas (overripe)
- flour
- sugar
- butter (softened)
- baking powder
- salt
- vanilla extract
- egg
- milk
- chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate like these)
How Do You Make Banana Bread?
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Peel 3 overripe bananas and mash them into a small bowl. If you are using bananas that were frozen and there is access liquid, simply pour it off. Set mashed bananas aside.
In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together 1/2 cup of softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar.
Add mashed bananas into the large bowl, and mix to combine.
Pour in 2 cups of flour a little bit at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl in between to make sure its fully combined.
Add 1 t baking powder and 1/4 t salt. Mix.
Next, add 1t of vanilla extract, 1/4 cup of milk and 1 egg. Give everything a good mix.
Finally, stir in 3/4c of milk chocolate chips to the batter.
You will want to grease your pan so the bread doesn’t stick. Using your fingers, take approx 1T of butter and rub it along the bottom and sides of the bread pan until its all coated.
Pour the batter into the bread pan. Take an additional 10-15 chocolate chips and sprinkle them into the top of the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for approx 50-65 minutes or until it has a cracked surface and a long toothpick or uncooked spaghetti noodle comes out with crumbs on it. If it comes out with liquid batter, the bread needs to bake longer.
Tip: cooking times will vary depending on your oven and the size of the pan that you use, so keep an eye on it. If the top of the bread is starting to look done, but the center needs longer to cook, use a piece of tin foil to make a “tent”, and place it over the top of your bread.
Note: If you split batter into 2 smaller or 3 mini loaf pans, they will take less time to cook, so just adjust cook time accordingly.
Let cool on a cooling rack and cut into slices to serve.
What Can You Serve With Banana Bread?
A slice of this bread is great on its own or with a little butter. Also, try these serving ideas:
- assorted jams and jellies
- side of eggs
- side of fresh fruit
- smoothies
- yogurt
- mixed nuts
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Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 spatula
- 1 bread or loaf pan
- 1 cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 banana over ripe
- 1/4 t salt
- 2 cup flour
- 1 t baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 c milk chocolate chips
- 15 milk chocolate chips for topping
- 1 T butter to grease pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel 3 overripe bananas and mash them into a small bowl. If you are using bananas that were frozen and there is access liquid, simply pour it off. Set mashed bananas aside.
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together 1/2 cup of softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar.
- Add mashed bananas into the large bowl, and mix to combine.
- Add 2 cups of flour a little bit at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl in between to make sure its fully combined.
- Add 1 t baking powder and 1/4 t salt. Mix.
- Next, add 1t of vanilla extract, 1/4 cup of milk and 1 egg. Give everything a good mix.
- Finally stir in 3/4c of milk chocolate chips to the batter.
- You will want to grease your pan so the bread doesn't stick. Using your fingers, take approx 1T of butter and rub it along the bottom and sides of the bread pan until coated.
- Pour the batter into the bread pan. Take and additional 10-15 chocolate chips and sprinkle them into the top of the batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for approx 50-65 minutes or until it has a cracked surface and a long toothpick or uncooked spaghetti noodle comes out with crumbs on it. If it comes out with liquid batter, the bread needs to bake longer.
- Cool on a baking rack before slicing and serving.
