CHOCOLATE CHUNK BANANA BREAD

Every time I make banana bread by a new recipe, my husband and I always seem to immediately start comparing it with our favorite banana bread called Banana Split Bread. I have been making it for years. I once compared it with other recipes I had for banana bread and noticed it wasn't just a banana bread recipe with chocolate chips added. It was a totally different recipe.

Last week I decided to try this Amish recipe I found in The Best of Amish Friends Cookbook Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter. The recipe was contributed by Janine Merdian of Lacon, IL. I hated that I didn't have a 4-ounce German Sweet Baking Chocolate bar because I love German Chocolate, but I did have a 4-ounce Dark Chocolate Baking Bar that I decided to use.

Well, I may have found a recipe that is as good if not better than my Banana Split Bread. It is so moist. I decided to go on and make one loaf instead of several mini loaves like I so often do. Guess what? It didn't take us long to eat it all up. 

CHOCOLATE CHUNK BANANA BREAD

1       cup mashed bananas
2      eggs, slightly beaten
1/3   cup oil
1/4   cup milk
2      cups flour
1       cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup sugar/stevia blend)
2      teaspoons baking powder
1/4   teaspoon salt
1       (4-ounce) package Baker's German Sweet Baking Chocolate or a 4-ounce Dark Chocolate Baking Bar, coarsely chopped
1/2   cup chopped nuts (plus a few extras for sprinkling on the top)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 5 x 9-inch loaf pan. (I used a 4-1/2 x 8-1/2 inch loaf pan.)

Stir bananas, eggs, oil, and milk until well blended with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt that you have combined in a different bowl.

Stir just til moistened. Don't worry if some of the flour isn't moistened. It will get moistened when you add the chocolate and nuts.

Stir in the chocolate and nuts.

Pour into pan.

Sprinkle additional nuts on top if you like. (It gives the baked loaf a nice finished look.)

Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. (I had to bake mine about 70 minutes since I used a smaller loaf pan.)

Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack.

Remove from pan and cool completely wire rack.


To store, wrap in foil or place under cake dome.

TIP! One thing different with this recipe was the coarsely chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips. I think I prefer the taste of this instead of the chips. I know it is the same chocolate, but I like getting little tastes and bigger tastes. I kept the paper foil wrapper under the bar when I chopped it. This was such a better way to do it. When you chop it on your cutting board, some of the chocolate just gets cut into your board.