CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

With five lovely daughters, there are days when we just need chocolate in our house.  Deep, dark, fudgy, chocolate.  And for those times that you can't decide between dark, fudgy brownies and moist chocolate-chip banana bread, we've got the perfect combination!
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​My family LOVES banana bread - plain, simple, every day!  But they LOVE rich and moist banana bread filled with mini-chocolate chips!  This variation of our favorite is tried and true, deep and dark, tender, flavorful, and super-moist!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Don't you just love that deep, dark color?  I use Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa, which is Dutch-processed, for the darkest color and most intense chocolate flavor.  And remember to always use baking powder when you are using Dutch-processed cocoa, as it won't react (rise) with baking soda.  A combination of melted butter and vegetable or canola oil makes this the moistest banana bread ever.  I should also note that even with all that dark, chocolatey goodness, the flavor of the bananas still shines thru.  After all, why bother with banana bread if you can't taste the bananas?

​To ramp up the flavor, I use Rodelle's Baker's Extract - which is a wonderful and heady blend of pure vanilla extract along with natural chocolate, caramel, cream and oak flavors - the secret ingredient.  You can always substitute pure vanilla extract, but you can't believe the layers of flavor that this dark and all-natural extract adds to something as simple and basic as chocolate banana bread!

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

 The texture of this chocolate banana bread is probably the best in the history of all banana breads!  Studded with mini-chocolate chips, it is so creamy and rich, it's banana bread perfection.  

​For an easy summertime treat, top thick slices of this Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  So easy and so delicious!

​And warm from the oven?  This is the most epic chocolate banana bread you'll ever have!  It always makes all of my girls happy - and if my girls are happy, this Mama is happy!  Hope that you enjoy as much as we do!

Chocolate Banana Bread

CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

My family loves Banana Bread – plain, simple, every day!  But they LOVE rich and moist chocolate banana bread filled with mini-chocolate chips!  This variation of our favorite is tried and true, tender, flavorful, and super-moist!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg (room temperature)
¼1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
1 cup all-purpose flour
½1/2 cup Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
½1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1-1/2 cups (about 3 medium) ripe bananas (mashed)
¾3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
¼1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoons Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract or Rodelle Baker’s Extract
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

HOW I MAKE THIS:

1. Remove egg from refrigerator to warm to room temperature.  Melt butter and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust rack to middle of oven.  Lightly spray a 9x5 loaf pan or 3 individual loaf pans with nonstick spray.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, melted butter and oil and stir until well combined.  Add in the brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract and baker’s extract; stir until smooth.
5. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Slowly stir everything together just until no more flour pockets remain.  Add in ¾ cup of the mini-chocolate chips and stir just a few times.  You don’t want to overmix your batter! 
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan(s) and sprinkle the top with the remaining miniature chocolate chips.
7. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes for small individual loaves, 50 to 60 minutes for full-sized loaf (depending on the size of the pans you use, and oven times vary).  To prevent the top and sides from getting too brown, loosely covering the bread with aluminum foil once it is golden.  A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done.
8. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.  For gift-giving, special occasions and holidays, I bake up to a month ahead of time and wrap individual banana bread loaves tightly with plastic wrap and then store in airtight containers in the freezer until ready to share.

 
YIELD:  makes one 9x5 loaf, three 3x5 loafs or 10 mini-loafs
NOTES:  I love to use Rodelle’s Baker’s Extract in this recipe – it is a wonderful blend of Pure Vanilla Extract along with natural chocolate, caramel, cream and oak flavors.

Originally posted June 2013; revised and reposted July 2018.

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