Kortni’s Kitchen: Chocolate Banana Bread
I found this recipe for chocolate banana bread about a year ago. I am not a huge chocolate fan, but this is hands down the softest bread I have ever eaten. This is in part due to the bananas; the applesauce also helps. It is quite easy to make which is nice, plus by using the cocoa powder you get a chocolate taste throughout without needing to fill it with chocolate chips. All in all this banana bread adds great flavor and moistness to a classic dish.
Ingredients:
3 medium ripe bananas (the browner the better)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat an 8″ square pan with cooking spray.
- You can do this bread in smaller pans if you would like. I like the individual bread pans, but if you want cupcake tins that works too.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Chocolate Banana Bread
2. Combine the mashed bananas and sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Make sure your bananas are old and brown. Normally when bananas turn brown people throw them away, but don’t. That is the time to make banana bread. The sugar in the bananas is being released, making the once firm bananas mushy. This makes them perfect for bread since they provide their own sweetness. Also, they cream a lot better than firm bananas.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Chocolate Banana Bread
3. Add the applesauce, vanilla and egg. Stir to combine.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Chocolate Banana Bread
4. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the chocolate chips and pour into the prepared baking pan.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Chocolate Banana Bread
5. Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Then let cool on a rack. Once cooled, put your template on the top and sift powdered sugar over the top. Take your template off and serve your ghostly bread.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Chocolate Banana Bread
- I drew my own template, but if you can find pre-made ones that works as well. If you have cookie cutters, they would work as well. The template can be whatever you want it to be. I picked ghosts because it works with the darkness of the bread. You could also do bats. I am not a good artist, so I chose ghosts since they’re easy to cut out.
Kortni’s Kitchen: Chocolate Banana Bread
I am not a fan of Halloween, but I thought this bread fit the occasion. Something a little dark, but festive. This is the time of year I start making banana bread, so I decided to give it a little holiday twist. No matter how you decorate this bread it still tastes good. Remember to eat it right up though. It only stays fresh about 3-4 days. I have never had a problem eating the whole thing. I have also done it in individual bread dishes, which I like a lot. This way I feel like I am eating a lot, but it’s already portioned out for me.
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