CHOCOLATE-BANANA BREAD

Chocolate Banana Bread. Doesn't that just sound so yummy? Two favorite ingredients -- chocolate and bananas. It not only has baking cocoa. It also has chocolate chips and even chocolate Cheerios. 

I received the recipe through an email from Betty Crocker and it sounded good enough to try. We have eaten all of the mini loaves I had frozen and I also had some bananas I have been saving to bake something with. I did try to find the banana nut Cheerios that the recipe called for but couldn't find them in several grocery stores. I had read a review where a lady said she used just regular Cheerios and the results tasted good, so when I saw the chocolate Cheerios, I decided to give them a try.

I did make two mini loaves instead of one larger loaf so I could freeze one while we enjoyed one. Even though I have many metal mini loaf pans, I prefer to use my blue Pyrex mini loaf pans. They are slightly bigger than the metal ones, measuring approximately 6-1/4 x 3-3/4 - inches. I also substituted stevia for the sugar.

CHOCOLATE - BANANA BREAD

2        cups Cheerios cereal ( I used Chocolate Cheerios)
3/4    cup sugar (I used stevia)
1/4     cup canola oil
3/4    cup buttermilk (I used low fat buttermilk)
2        teaspoons vanilla
1         egg
1         cup mashed very ripe bananas
2        cups all-purpose flour
1/4     cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1         teaspoon baking soda
1/4     teaspoon salt
1/3     cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom only of a 9 x 5 - inch loaf pan with cooking spray. (I made two mini loaves using my mini pyrex loaf pans)

Place cereal in a resealable food-storage bag and crush with a rolling pin.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil with electric mixer on low speed until well mixed. Beat in buttermilk, vanilla, and egg just until blended.

Beat in bananas.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and add to mixture, stirring until well mixed.

Stir in 3/4 cup of the crushed cereal and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter in the loaf pan(s).

Sprinkle the remaining crushed cereal on top of the batter and press lightly.

Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes for the large loaf or 50 minutes for the two smaller loaves.

Cool 10 minutes on wire rack before removing to finish cooling.