When Life Gives You Bananas...

 

....make banana bread! There were two overripe bananas in our kitchen, staring me down, challenging me to make something sweet and satisfying. I knew there was only one way to defeat these menacing bananas and the result was the perfect combo of bananas and chocolate.

My recipe was  adapted from the Food Network. Feel free to add more chocolate chips, nuts or whatever your heart desires. As usual, my additions will be in a different color font.

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas (I only had two bananas, but it still worked)
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardelli)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
2. Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears. Mix in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Dust the bread with a mixture of butter and brown sugar. Trust me on this one. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!