After a crazy busy couple of weeks, my life has slowed down just enough to post a recipe here for you all! And, this is not just a recipe. This is the Best Ever Banana Bread – the bread that my family can eat an entire loaf of in two days, is constantly complimented, and is so packed with flavor, the whole house smells like it after baking!
From the pictures above, you can see just how chock-full of bananas this bread is. In just one loaf, the recipe calls for three and a half bananas. It may seem like a lot, but it’s what makes the bread so moist, and keeps it tasting oven-fresh for up to a full week (if it lasts that long around the house)!
Although many people put walnuts or another type of nuts in their breads, I never really understand why. Why cloud up a perfectly delicious bread with some weird, flavorless crunch? So, to please the people who like more texture, and to make people like myself happy, too, I decided to top the loaf with a layer of mini chocolate chips before baking. They add a nice texture to the bread without having too much of an overpowering contrast with the soft bread.
Enjoy this recipe, and try not to eat in all in one sitting! Or do… I won’t tell!
Juliet
Best Ever Banana Bread
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 1 9-by-5-inch loaf of bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 ripe bananas
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/8 cups vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
To bake
- Preheat the oven to 350*F, and spray your 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Using a large fork or a masher, mash the bananas in a small bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, oil, and eggs on low speed – make sure you don’t whip the eggs! Slowly pour in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the mashed bananas on low speed, and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan, and sprinkle the top evenly with the chocolate chips and bake for one hour. After the first hour, check the bread every ten minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and crumb-free. Let the bread cool in the pan fully before popping out, slicing, and enjoying!