Chocolate Banana Bread

Bananas and chocolate are a great pairing. -- And they certainly pair fabulously in this Chocolate Banana Bread! Moist and tender from buttermilk in the batter, and loaded with chocolate flavor from cocoa and chocolate chips, this is one loaf of banana bread that will absolutely disappear in a flash.

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Oh, how we love banana bread at our house! Whether it be regular-old plain banana bread, or fancier flavors like chocolate marble banana bread and hummingbird banana bread, we'll enjoy it in just about any form it comes.

But one banana bread version that disappears most quickly at our house is this super-tasty Chocolate Banana Bread. Whenever a loaf appears in our kitchen, it sure seems to be gone in a flash. -- Which I fully attribute to the fact that bananas and chocolate are such a fabulous combination.

This Chocolate Banana Bread recipe is actually a mash-up of our go-to buttermilk banana bread recipe and our very favorite chocolate chip banana bread. Taking a nod from the buttermilk version and including buttermilk in its batter, a loaf of Chocolate Banana Bread bakes up moist and tender. Then with the addition of cocoa powder and chocolate chips, this tasty Chocolate Banana Bread is simply loaded with fabulous chocolate flavor.

Sneak some chocolate into your breakfast, or enjoy this chocolatey loaf for snack or dessert. It's delicious any time!

So the next time you've got some overripe bananas laying around, whip up a loaf of Chocolate Banana Bread and give it a try. We sure hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do!

What's to Love About This Recipe?

• Moist & tender - With buttermilk in its batter, a loaf of Chocolate Banana Bread bakes up wonderfully moist and tender.
• Fabulous chocolate-banana flavor - With its combination of overripe bananas, baking cocoa, and chocolate chips, this tasty Chocolate Banana Bread is simply loaded with fabulous chocolate-banana flavor.
• Family-favorite - Kids and grown-ups alike just love this chocolatey treat.
• Perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert - Sneak some chocolate into your breakfast, or enjoy this chocolatey loaf for snack or dessert. It's delicious any time!

Chocolate Banana Bread Ingredient Highlights:

In addition to basic staple baking ingredients, 4 key ingredients combine to give Chocolate Banana Bread its tender texture and fabulous chocolate/banana flavor. These key ingredients are:

• Overripe bananas - The best bananas for making banana bread are those that have gone well past their prime. In fact, the very definition of overripe is "too ripe" or "past its best."  And some definitions even go so far as to say "beyond ripeness toward decay."  So when reaching for those bananas to make your Chocolate Banana Bread, choose bananas that are well on their way to turning black over a good amount of their peel.

• Buttermilk - Buttermilk brings the moistness to the banana bread, and helps it form a nice and tender crumb. We recommend whole buttermilk for the best result, but low-fat buttermilk works, as well.

• Baking cocoa - Cocoa powder replaces a bit of regular banana bread's all-purpose flour to bring the loaf's chocolate flavor. Look for unsweetened baking cocoa in the baking aisle of the grocery store.

• Chocolate chips - Semi-sweet chocolate chips further enhance Chocolate Banana Bread's flavor, and are a delightful chocolatey treat in every bite. Milk chocolate chips can also be used, but do produce a more mild chocolate flavor.

How to Make Chocolate Banana Bread:

To whip up a loaf of Chocolate Banana Bread, start by mashing some overripe bananas with a fork. -- They should mash really easily.

Then pour in some buttermilk, and mash the bananas again together with the buttermilk. Set this mixture aside while you prepare the rest of the bread's batter.

Then mix up a pretty basic banana bread batter, replacing part of the usual amount of all-purpose flour with baking cocoa to create a chocolate loaf. The banana-buttermilk mixture is added in as part of this batter-making process.

Once the chocolate banana bread batter is mixed, the last step is to stir in a good dose of chocolate chips.

Before adding the chocolate chips to the batter, dust them lightly with a little bit of cocoa powder. This light coating of powder keeps the chocolate chips from just sinking to the bottom of the pan while the banana bread bakes. -- They cling within the batter, instead, and stay pretty well dispersed throughout the entire loaf.

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake until the banana bread is beautifully baked through, which takes about an hour.

Once baked, cool the banana bread in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Then you're ready to dive into the banana-chocolate deliciousness! 

Enjoy Chocolate Banana Bread for breakfast, snack, or dessert. -- Because it's truly delicious any time. And with its moist, tender texture and fabulous flavor? It's one loaf of banana bread that will absolutely disappear in a flash.

Check out these other delicious banana bread recipes:

• Buttermilk Banana Bread
• Hummingbird Banana Bread
• Chocolate Marble Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Pumpkin Banana Bread
• Cake Mix Banana Bread
• Chai Spice Banana Bread
• More bread & muffin recipes

Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

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Breads

American

Yield: 1 loaf

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

Chocolate Banana Bread

Bananas and chocolate are a great pairing. -- And they certainly pair fabulously in this Chocolate Banana Bread! Moist and tender from buttermilk in the batter, and loaded with chocolate flavor from cocoa and chocolate chips, this is one loaf of banana bread that will absolutely disappear in a flash.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 20 M

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 c. mashed)
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. baking cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3/4 c. light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips + 1/2 tsp. baking cocoa

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Mash in buttermilk; set aside.
2. Place softened butter in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating briefly after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture and mashed banana to the butter-brown sugar mixture, beating after each addition just until incorporated.
5. Dust chocolate chips with the 1/2 teaspoon baking cocoa; toss to coat chocolate chips. Fold chocolate chips into banana bread batter.
6. Lightly grease a loaf pan. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350℉ for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Similar Recipes

Hummingbird Banana Bread

Chocolate Marble Banana Bread

Buttermilk Banana Bread

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