Chocolate Banana Bread

I have a recipe for banana bread that I basically know off the top of my head. I've been making it for such a long time now. I usually make it when I have some bananas that are getting a little overripe (which apparently is pretty often). I got it from The Book of Bread. I never realized that the book was by Judith Jones of Julia Child fame until quite recently. So little wonder there are such good recipes in it.

I decided to change it up a little this time and make it chocolate banana bread (besides the name of this blog is about chocolate and I haven't posted one recipe with chocolate yet!).

Chocolate Banana Bread

4 T butter (softened)
3/4 c sugar
3 medium bananas
1 egg (room temperature)
1/3 c yogurt (room temperature)
1t vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 c chocolate chips (I'm usually a little more generous than that)

Grease a loaf pan. Cream butter and sugar together. While butter is creaming, in a separate bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. To the creamed butter and sugar, add the bananas and mix until bananas are mashed. Beat in egg, yogurt, and vanilla.

Gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.

I did not use a loaf pan. I used a tea loaf pan from King Arthur Flour. I like this pan because it makes a slightly smaller slice and then when I have two slices instead of just one, I can rationalize that they are smaller slices.

If you want to make non-chocolate banana bread, omit the cocoa powder and add 1/4 c of flour. There are also some people who would not put the chocolate chips in and use 1 c of chopped pecans instead but I'm not one of them!

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