Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

There’s just something about banana bread. It’s soft, cozy, nostalgic, homey. No matter how many times I experiment with other kinds of desserts using banana, nothing ever tops a traditional banana bread. It truly is the GOAT of banana baking. All across the US, you find it at small coffee shops, bake sales, your grandmother’s kitchen. It’s there for you when you’re gloomy and need a pick me up, or want to create happy memories with your own kids in the kitchen.

This recipe just takes that comforting loaf and gently elevates it, in a way that anyone can accomplish. The slightly bitter chocolate and the crunchy streusel topping pair so well with the distinct sweetness of the banana. With a soft, gentle interior and a lightly crusted exterior, it’s everything you could want from a perfect loaf of banana bread.

There’s nothing wrong with a plain loaf, and you absolutely could omit both the chocolate chips and the streusel from this recipe. You’d end up with a perfectly soft and delicious basic banana bread! But why not make something special when the opportunity presents itself? For that minimal amount more effort, you’ll end up with a loaf that people will be begging for the recipe to.

FAQs and Science

How ripe should my bananas be?

Ideally, they should be ripe enough that the peel is dark brown in color with only a few yellow spots here or there. The darker a banana peel gets, the sweeter and less starchy the fruit is on the inside is. That’s exactly what you want for a good banana bread.

I don’t have any butter on hand, could I replace it with oil instead?

Yes, in a pinch you could substitute the melted butter for a neutral oil, like canola or vegetable. However, it’s not a 1:1 substitution, as butter has a higher water content than oil!

In the streusel, substitute the butter for only 3 Tablespoons of oil.
For the batter, substitute the butter for only 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of oil.

I like milk chocolate better, will it hurt anything if I use that rather than dark?

As a fellow lover of milk chocolate over dark, I hear you. However, this recipe really needs that slight bitterness that comes from a semisweet or dark chocolate. Milk chocolate doesn’t have as pronounced of a flavor to cut through the defined banana, it would really only offer more sweetness. The bread is already sweet enough.

What You’ll Need

• 9×5 loaf pan
• parchment paper
• small mixing bowl
• medium mixing bowl
• large mixing bowl
• whisk
• fork
• potato masher (optional)
• rubber spatula
• dry measuring cups
• measuring spoons
•  cooling rack

The Process

Prepare the Streusel

Start by preheating your oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare the loaf pan. Make sure that the parchment covers the bottom of the pan and up the two long sides, extending an inch above the top.

Spray the remaining exposed shorter sides with a nonstick baking spray, so the banana bread will lift right out when it’s finished baking. If you’d rather not be bothered with parchment paper, you could spray the entire inside of the pan down, but it runs the risk of the bread sticking to the bottom at the end.

Onto the baking! Order matters in all aspects of baking, including which component is created first when your dessert is multi-dimensional. It’s important to start off by making the streusel, so it’s ready to go once the batter is in the pan. This way, the batter wont sit out for too long, running the risk of the baking soda releasing too much carbon dioxide too early. That release prevents the baking soda from properly lifting the bread once it hits that hot oven, resulting in a flatter bread.

To make the streusel, grab the small mixing bowl and add in the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Give the dry goods a whisk with the fork to evenly blend them together. Melt the unsalted butter (I just use a microwave), and pour it over the dry goods. Whisk the butter into the flour mixture with the fork, until you have large chunks of streusel ready to sprinkle later on. Set this bowl aside.

Make the Batter

Now for the loaf itself, grab the medium mixing bowl and add in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them together until the dry goods are evenly distributed, and set this bowl aside.

For the wet ingredients, take the large mixing bowl and toss in the bananas. Mash them well with either a fork, a potato masher, or just your clean hands, until the bananas are in an almost liquid state with barely any chunks left.

To the mashed bananas, add in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk them together well, until they’re one homogeneous mixture.

Grab the dry goods and add them all at once to the banana bowl. Using your rubber spatula, gently stir them together until only a few streaks of flour remain.

We leave those few streaks of flour when we’ve got add-ins at the end of a recipe. That way, when they’re folded in, the batter doesn’t get overworked and become tough. No one wants a tough banana bread. Toss in the chocolate chips and stir the batter until the flour has been absorbed and the chips are evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, taking care to spread it as evenly as you can. Grab the streusel you made at the very beginning, and sprinkle it over the top. It’s good to have a combination of large and small chunks, so don’t worry about any size differences. Sprinkle it to cover as much of the top as you can, and be sure to use all of it. You want a discernible layer on top to get that nice crunch when you eat it.

Place the banana bread in the oven, and bake it for 75-80 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean of batter and the streusel is golden brown. I always start checking the bread around the 70 minute mark. This way, I can account for variables in actual oven temperature and any weather influence.

Allow the bread to sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removal. This way, it can set up enough so that it wont fall apart on you. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the short sides of the banana bread to help them release. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Once the bread is cool enough to touch, gently tip the bread onto its side to remove the parchment paper.

Once the banana bread has cooled completely, then slice and enjoy! Store the bread in either an airtight container, gallon zip-top bag, or tightly wrapped in plastic for up to 2 days.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Bake Time: 350F for 75-80 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf, approximately 10 servings
Total Time: 2 hours
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Batter:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium-large very ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 12 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F, and prepare a 9×5 loaf pan. Line the bottom and 2 long sides with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment extends over the edge of the pan by 1-2 inches. This will make for easier removal later on. Spray the other 2 sides with a nonstick spray, and set the pan aside.
2. Begin by preparing the streusel topping. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the melted butter over the dry mix and, using a fork, gently toss them together to get nice thick chunks of streusel. Set the bowl aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
4. Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the bananas to the melted butter and mash them using either a fork, a potato masher, or your (clean) hands. Whisk in the brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until it’s homogeneous.
5. Grab the flour mixture and add it all at once to the banana mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the two together until only a few streaks of flour remain. Toss the chocolate chips into the batter and mix until everything is combined and the chocolate chips are evenly distributed.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the streusel crumbles over the top. It may seem like a lot now, but trust the process and add them all. Take care to sprinkle as evenly as you can.
7. Bake the bread for 75-80 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean of batter after being stuck in the center. Let the bread to rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then carefully remove it by the parchment flaps to transfer over to a cooling rack.
8. When the loaf is cool enough to handle, gently remove the parchment paper so it wont steam as the banana bread cools. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing and serving. Store it in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic for up to 2 days, and enjoy!

Tips

• Freeze your bananas when they get ripe enough if you’re not ready in that moment to bake. This way, they’ll be good to go whenever you’re in the mood! Be sure to peel them before freezing, it’s not fun trying to get that off after the fact.
• Fully baked bread can be tightly wrapped in plastic then foil and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight.