How To Keep Chocolate Chips From Sinking In Banana Bread
I haven’t had a problem with the chocolate chips sinking in this thick batter however, there are a couple of good ways to avoid that issue. First, I recommend using miniature chocolate chips, which disperse evenly throughout the bread and aren’t as heavy . Next, if you are using the larger standard-size chocolate chips, you might want to lightly toss them with a small amount of flour before stirring them into the batter. This method helps the chocolate chips stay suspended in the bread.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Banana bread also makes a great afternoon snack with a glass of milk, a welcome tea time treat and its a terrific breakfast to freeze for busy mornings.
When chocolate chips are involved you could even slice it up, serve it with a scoop of ice cream and call it dessert!
A loaf of Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread makes a fabulous hostess gift or teacher gift too.
Id never turn down a loaf of freshly baked homemade banana bread, especially when walnuts and chocolate chips are involved. Banana bread is welcome on my plate at any time of day or night.
I enjoy banana bread so much, I used the flavors to inspire one of our favorite go-to breakfast meals, Peanut Butter Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal!
Nuts Or Chocolate Chips
My children cant stand nuts so we add in semi-sweet chocolate chips to our banana bread, but you can add in the following to make it your own!
Chopped pecansWhite chocolate chipsCaramel bits
You can also add a cinnamon sugar coating on top of your loaf and leave out the chocolate chips or nuts if you wish.
Once the cake batter is poured and spread into your loaf pan, sprinkle evenly with a cinnamon sugar mixture: 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. The result is a crunchy, flavourful top with a decadent bakery-style finish.
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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this banana bread gluten free?
I have not tested this specific recipe, but I have a delicious recipe for gluten free banana bread thats just as moist! Just add chocolate chips.
Can I use plain yogurt instead?
If you dont have Greek yogurt or sour cream, you can also use plain unsweetened yogurt.
Can I use less sugar in this recipe?
Sugar plays a big role in the moist texture of this bread. Adjusting it will likely change the banana bread. For a refined sugar free option, try swapping all of the sugar with coconut sugar.
Why did my banana bread sink in the middle?
This is likely due to two missteps: 1. You over mixed the batter. Over mixing develops the gluten strands in the flour, creating a more dense and heavy batter. Mix just until the ingredients are combined. This is why its important to mix the batter by hand. 2. Your pan is too small. 9×5 loaf pans can vary in size, as mine is about 9.5x5x5 inches. If you have a smaller loaf pan, only fill the pan about 2/3 full. Any more than than and the center of the banana bread will have trouble baking all the way through.
Do I need to make this banana bread with chocolate chips?
If you just want plain banana bread, you can leave out the chocolate chips. Alternatively, you can add nuts instead.
Common Questions About Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Can you freeze whole bananas?
Yes, you can freeze whole bananas. I recommend peeling them before you freeze them and place them in a freezer bag. They last about 6 months in the freezer.
Can bananas be too ripe for banana bread?
Not at all! You can use very ripe bananas for this chocolate chip banana bread.
How do you keep banana bread moist?
To make sure banana bread stays moist, make sure to use very ripe bananas. They provide the perfect amount of moisture for this chocolate chip banana bread recipe. Also, wrap the freshly baked bread in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing it in the fridge. Doing this will prevent it from drying out.
What can you add to banana bread?
Aside from chocolate chips, you can also add nuts to banana bread.
How long should I cool banana bread?
I recommend cooling the banana bread in the loaf pan for 30 minutes before serving.
What is the best way to store banana bread?
The banana bread will keep for about 1 week in the fridge once its wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Is it OK to freeze banana bread?
Yes! To freeze the baked banana bread, wrap the loaf or slices tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This is my favorite banana bread recipe! My mom loves it too except she likes to add walnuts. You can replace the chocolate chips for any nut, add both, or not include any add-ins at all. Choose your own adventure. )
Now if youll excuse me, Im off to have another slice. Its just SO GOOD!
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How To Make This Banana Bread
This bread is a riff on Elises classic Banana Bread with just a few adjustments to accommodate the peanut butter.
I use a creamy, commercial brand of peanut butter here. I dont usually bake with natural peanut butter because it tends to take a little more finessing to incorporate. I beat the peanut butter a bit before mixing it into the batter, just like you often do with cream cheese. I want it to soften and smooth out so it will incorporate more easily.
You could use chunky, but I prefer creamy. It shouldnt cause any issues if you were to substitute one for the other.
Since peanut butter can weigh down a batter, I also added some milk to the recipe to keep the loaf from being too heavy.
You can use mini or regular chocolate chips here, or even chopped bar chocolate. Its really your preference. If you do use bar chocolate, just know it will melt more readily than chips . I avoid topping the batter with bar chocolate, because it can melt off and burn as it bakes. Just add some to the top when it comes out of the oven.
Storing And Freezing Banana Bread
This bread keeps at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic and on the counter, for at least a couple of days, although it wont last that long because you’ll eat it all!
You can also freeze the whole loaf or slices by wrapping well in plastic and then in foil.
Need more banana bread freezing and storing information? Click here for all the ins and outs on how to keep your banana bread at its best!
Note: We updated this recipe on August 20, 2021, reducing the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon and changing the pan to an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch pan.
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Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread With Chocolate Glaze
Moist banana bread packed with chocolate chips and pecans gets glazed with an ooey-gooey chocolate ganache!
Hey Folks! Happy Banana Bread Day! As Im writing this, Im sitting on the tarmac just waiting for my plane to leave for Seattle. Im heading to a sales meeting for a new product launch. Gotta love those, right? I am excited however to visit Seattle as this is my first time and my only experience with it thus far is the classic movie, Sleepless in Seattle on the world famous houseboat where Sam watched the fireworks over the beautiful city. Love that movie by the way!!
When it comes to banana bread , Im pretty picky. Hubby too! It needs to be dense, moist and full of flavor. Ive had so many that are just dry and completely tasteless. Im sure youve eperienced the same at some point in time. So in my search efforts, I turned to friend in my head, Sally of Sallys Baking Addiction. Shes come up with the best recipe in my opinion. The key too to moisture is packing the bread with lots of baking bananas4 large ones to be exact and thick, creamy yogurt. This is the same concept in my moist Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake where lots of zucchini and in this case canola oil creates the moisture in this tasty cake.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:
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How To Serve This Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe
Serve the bread warm, at room temperature, or even straight from the refrigerator! Its a great option for breakfast or snack when paired with a mug of hot coffee or tea, or with a cold glass of milk.
The bread is delicious on its own, but you might also enjoy it with butter, cream cheese, almond butter, or peanut butter. Add some yogurt or eggs and fresh fruit on the side for a perfect morning feast!
How To Ripen Bananas For Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Dont have ripe bananas on hand? There are a few ways you can speed up the ripening process to make your bananas perfect for banana bread!
And there you have it! Ripe bananas that are going to make your chocolate chip banana bread extra delicious.
If you already have frozen ripe bananas, you can also use those. Just leave them out for about 30 minutes to 1 hour in order to thaw before using.
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The Best Chocolate Chips For Baking
We used semi-sweet chocolate chips since the bread was already plenty sweet with the overripe bananas and bit of sugar, but it really is based on preference. You can use milk chocolate for a sweeter bite or even bittersweet chocolate chips to cut down on the sweetness.
We used standard-sized baking chips but mini chocolate chips would also work. Use between 2/3 to 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips based on how sweet your like your bread.
How Many Cups Is 1 Mashed Banana
This can be tricky! If a recipe calls for 3 bananas, how much is that? We all know that measurements are important in baking, so the difference between a very small banana and a very large banana can be significant when baking a loaf of banana bread.
My recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of mashed banana. One large banana yields about ½ cup mashed, so I used 3 large bananas for a total of about 1 ½ cups. If you’re working with small bananas, you’ll need at least 4 . Measuring is always the safest way to make sure that your banana bread turns out perfectly moist, sweet, and delicious!
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Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
posted onAshley C.Jump to Recipe
Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a classic recipe that yields the best banana bread. And its loaded with chocolate chips to make this bread extra special. This recipe requires only 15 minutes of prep!
Banana bread is a classic bread that frequently makes an appearance in our house. Who doesnt love the small of fresh bread from the oven? Its a great choice for breakfast or snack. Add chocolate chips and you create a delectable sweet treat everyone loves. Mix together the ingredients in one bowl, bake and enjoy. Its that easy!
How To Make The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:
You can use either a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer or even whisk this together by hand with a little extra effort.
- Cream together softened butter and sugar in mixing bowl
- Add 2 lightly beaten eggs
- Mash bananas with a fork and add them to the bowl
- Whisk together dry ingredients and add to batter
- Fold in 3/4 of chocolate chips and transfer to the prepared bread pan
- Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 chocolate chips and bake
The chocolate banana bread batter should be thick and have small lumps of banana.
Its marvelous how the chocolate chips stay gooey and moist long after the bread comes out of the oven.
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Is Banana Bread Healthy
While you’re getting some health benefits from the bananas in this recipe, I wouldn’t consider banana bread “healthy.” There’s definitely plenty of sugar, fat, and refined carbs in this recipe. That said, you can certainly do worse when it comes to sweet treats!
Assuming that a loaf yields 12 slices, each slice includes about 301 calories, 41 grams of carbohydrate, 4 grams of protein, and 14 grams of fat. If you’re looking for a healthy banana bread recipe with fewer calories, try my One-Bowl Whole Wheat Banana Bread .
Tips For Easy Banana Bread
- Mash your bananas well with a fork. Its fine if there is a few lumps.
- The batter should be thick and lumpy once all of the ingredients are mixed through. You may be tempted to add more liquid, but you wont need it. This banana bread is perfect.
- Do not be tempted to over mix!
- Use a pale coloured loaf pan light grey or white is ideal. Dark or black loaf pans are known to darken the bottom of cakes or loaves.
- Line your loaf pan with parchment paper. Leave a 3 inch overhang to make it easy to pull and lift the banana bread out of the pan.
- Place your loaf onto a cooling rack to let cool, or enjoy a slice fresh out of the oven!
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Why You Will Love This Banana Bread Recipe
- Easy to make this recipe is a cinch to prepare! You dont need a mixer and can make it in one bowl with a whisk or a spatula.
- Super moist banana bread the loaf is SUPER moist and stays moist for days in an airtight container.
- Not too sweet the bananas are sweet enough that you dont need a lot of sugar to keep this cake moist.
- Light on the fat it doesnt use a ton of fat
- Chocolate chip banana bread there are plenty of mini chocolate chips so you get a hit of dark chocolate in every bite!
Tips For The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
- Use very ripe bananas for maximum flavor and sweetness. You want them to look quite speckled and brown! Mash them in a bowl with a fork, or place them in a large Ziploc bag and squeeze them with your hands until they’re perfectly mashed.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients just until they’re combined. Too much mixing and the bread will come out tough, dense, or dry. The key to keeping a quick bread moist is NOT over-mixing.
- The total baking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use . I prefer light-colored pans , which cook the bread more evenly. Dark metal pans tend to cause the outside to burn before the inside cooks through. You’ll know that the bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
- If the top of the bread starts to get too dark before it’s cooked through, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
- Do not overbake the bread or it will become dry. My loaves are typically done by the 55-minute mark, so check it early.
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How Do You Keep Banana Bread Moist
This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe is ultra moist and delicious from the start. If you want to keep banana bread moist, I recommend letting the banana bread cool completely before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap.
Place the wrapped banana bread in a zip close container to ensure to oxygen can not reach it, and then store on the counter for up to 5 days. You can keep it refrigerated for up to 8 days as well.
How To Make Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
This recipes comes together easily. Be sure to follow the recipe as specified, including using both granulated sugar AND brown sugar. The brown sugar really enhances the flavor of the bread. Also ensure that your eggs are at room temperature and your butter is softened.
- Step 1: Mash the bananas. Be sure to use overripe bananas. The bananas should be mostly brown to yield the best flavor. Mash until smooth. Do not leave chunks of bananas.
- Step 2: Prepare the pan. Grease a 9×5 metal loaf pan and set aside. Use butter or a nonstick cooking spray to grease the sides.
- Step 3: Make the batter. Cream together the butter and sugars. Then add the eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
- Step 4: Add the chocolate chips. Gently fold in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips until combined. After pouring the batter into the loaf pan, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 chips on top.
- Step 5: Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the bread is set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
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