“No More Bad Bananas” Dark Chocolate Chip-Toasted Pecan Bread
Do you ever get the brown banana blues? Well, at our house we do. It seems that whenever we buy bananas, no one is in a ‘banana’ mood, and all the bananas start to get mushy and eventually turn brown. Until one day when we got smart and decided to freeze the bananas in their peels just as they began to turn. Through some experimenting, we discovered that thawed frozen bananas are perfect for making bread. Freezing stops the browning process and they stay nice and yellow inside the peel. No more bad, brown bananas chez nous!
We love good banana bread and this one is Courtney’s concoction. She tossed in some dark chocolate chips, plain yogurt, and toasted pecans, and it is super delicious! We’re still not sure if this is breakfast or dessert, but we will let you decide! 🍌🍌🍌
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter softened to room temp (1/2 stick or 2 oz.)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 frozen banana thawed and smashed ( note – if you don’t use frozen thawed bananas, cut down on the amount of flour by about 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour If you are not using frozen mashed bananas, reduce flour to 3/4 cup
- 1/2 fresh banana cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray two mini loaf pans (6 x 3.4 inches) or 1 standard loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5) with cooking spray.
- Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Place butter in a mixing bowl and cream together with brown sugar. Stir in vanilla.
- Beat in egg until well incorporated.
- Add smashed frozen banana and stir well.
- Stir in flour followed by yogurt. Mix well.
- Fold in chopped banana, chocolate chip, and toasted pecans. Mix well.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. Alternatively, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. Preheat to warm before serving so the chocolate chips get all nice and gooey!
Notes
