My youngest daughter can’t get enough of banana bread. It was one of her favorite treats to eat as a kid … and to make with her momma! And it never lasted long in our kitchen.
Since National Banana Bread Day is Feb. 23, I thought this would be the perfect time to share my recipe.
Waste not.
It happens to all of us. Some days bananas ripen faster than we can eat them.
If I have bananas that are overly ripe, I throw them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. That way, I always have ripe bananas on hand to make this bread and I am not wasting any food.
Oh, and be sure to peel the bananas before freezing.
The magic ingredient.
Many of the recipes we tried over the years were delicious … but none had the moistness we were looking for. Then one day a friend told me to try adding sour cream to the mix. It was a brilliant suggestion! The sour cream gave the bread that delicious moistness we were lacking with other recipes we had tried.
Twists on a classic.
When my daughter and I would make banana bread, we always added chocolate chips. The chocolate chips were Sarah’s idea … my little sous-chef always knew how to make a sweet over the top!
For what we would call a “Chunky Monkey” version, add a ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter.
And know you can always freeze cooked banana bread – but I never have the will power to!
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 -inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until well combined. Add the reserved flour mixture and mix until well blended. Add the bananas, sour cream, vanilla extract, and cinnamon and stir to blend. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about for 60 to 70 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack just until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and place onto a wire rack to cool.
Serves 8.
