Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Dark Chocolate

by: White On Rice Couple

October13,2013

3

2 Ratings

  • Makes 2 Loaves

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

The biggest influence in my culinary life is my grandmother. When growing up, despite being 800 miles away and growing up on the ranch that rarely afforded us the opportunity to visit her, it was my grandmother’s cooking which inspired me as a young teenager to begin cooking on my own.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to spend much side-by-side time with Grandma in the kitchen. However through the cookbooks I inherited from her, I’ve been able to explore and learn through her sources of inspiration.
Grandma loved to make notes in her cookbook. Scribbles with variations she liked, ingredients that appealed or didn’t appeal to her, and her ever-present “X” ratings. She would give recipes she tried a rating from one to four “x”s.
She had enough savvy to rarely choose a recipe which she rated a meager single “x”, however when there was top rated “xxxx” I knew it was a recipe I needed to try. I’ve yet to make one of Grandma’s “xxxx” rated recipes and not love it. And this banana bread recipe is based off of one of those four x ratings.
The cookbook was called Private Collections, recipes from the Junior League Palo Alto. Based on the amount of scribbles and notes, Grandma loved this book. The original recipe was named “Kona Inn Banana Bread”.
We’ve adapted it to our own taste, incorporating a bit of vanilla extract and including the addition of dark chocolate chips. One could always add nuts, or even use regular chocolate chips, but since Grandma loved to cook to the tastes of the family, I follow suit and always include dark chocolate chips for my mom, even when she isn’t going to get a slice.
White On Rice Couple

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 cupsSugar
  • 1 cupunsalted Butter
  • 6 ripe Bananas
  • 4 large Eggs
  • 1 teaspoonVanilla Extract
  • 2 cupsDark Chocolate Chips
  • 2 1/2 cupsCake Flour
  • 2 teaspoonsBaking Soda
  • 1 teaspoonKosher or Sea Salt
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans.
  2. Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add bananas and mash with potato masher until the large chunks of banana are broken up. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and beat until well mixed. Stir in the vanilla extract and the chocolate chips.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into banana mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
  4. Divide the batter between the loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (chocolate on the toothpick doesn't count) The house should be filled with the scent of fresh banana bread.
  5. Cool on rack for 10 min. before removing from pans. Loosen the edges, then pop loose the bottom of the bread from the pan. Place on wire rack to finish cooling. Keeps wrapped in plastic for up to one week.

Tags:

  • Bread
  • Banana Bread
  • Fruit
  • Dark Chocolate

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • kellyhere

  • sevenfaces

  • Kelly Rooney Anderson

  • rengahan

Recipe by: White On Rice Couple

Eaters, Drinkers, Photographers, Travelers and Garden Geeks. Sharing stories of food that connect us all.

Popular on Food52

10 Reviews

This is my go-to banana bread recipe. Always a hit with colleagues and family! I used all-purpose flour minus 4-ish tbsp and replaced with 4-ish tbsp cornstarch. Super fluffy and moist.

Emily S. January 13, 2019

This is my new go-to recipe for banana bread. It's a nice balance between light and fluffy and dense, comforting banana bread. It's fantastic. Definitely writing this down to keep.

kellyhere October 15, 2018

I haven't eaten this yet, but I made it to bring to my daughter's class tomorrow for her birthday, and I'm pretty bummed out that the loaves aren't coming out of the pan for me to slice and serve individually. I knew I should have lined the pan with parchment just to be safe, but it's a busy weeknight with a lot going on, and I trusted that the recipe's instruction to simply grease the pan would work (it didn't).

meredith March 31, 2016

Turned out wonderfully! i used raw cane sugar and only had 5 bananas on hand, still turned out very well. Fiancé brought the other loaf to his office and it was a hit!!

Adrienne January 19, 2016

I enjoy dense banana bread. Would you recommend all purpose flour instead cake flour make a heavier bread?

rengahan October 1, 2016

When I made this, it was very dense because of all the bananas. In fact, it took longer to cook than the usual banana bread. I don't know if I would try a different flour.

sevenfaces March 14, 2014

Delicious and moist, and there was a nice caramelised crust on the outside that softened up the next day. I used 1 1/2C sugar and 4 very ripe bananas and still found it plenty sweet and banana-y. Plus the boyfriend won't stop raving about it; he often says you can't improve on the banana (wrong!) but with recipes like this I think I'm changing his mind...

jackandlily February 14, 2014

Just made this last night...it is delicious.

Kelly R. January 14, 2014

This is so good!!!!!!!!!!! I made it a couple time and shared it, everyone loved it and asked where I got the recipe!! YUM!!

wendymoore January 5, 2014

I cannot believe there aren't tons of comments already, praising this fantastic banana bread recipe! It is one of the most moist and delicious banana breads I have ever baked. I added milk instead of dark chocolate because that is what I had on hand. So delicious!

Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Can you use dark chocolate chips for baking? ›

However, if you do actually prefer dark chocolate chips, which usually contain 60-100% cocoa content, you can use them in place of semi-sweet or milk chocolate. They don't usually melt well at higher cocoa concentrations and can get chalky, so keeping them in their solid state works best.

Why is banana bread dark? ›

Too much baking soda in banana bread will inevitably lead to too much browning. Baking soda will increase the pH of your banana bread batter, making it more basic or alkaline. At higher pH, Maillard browning reactions occur, leading to a darker colour much faster.

How many calories in one slice of banana bread with chocolate chips? ›

1 slice of banana chocolate chip bread (Great Harvest Bread Co) contains 160 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 57% carbs, 36% fat, and 7% protein. This has a relatively high calorie density, with 282 Calories per 100g.

Why does banana bread call for baking soda? ›

Baking soda: Baking soda acts as a leavener, which means it helps the banana bread rise. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor, but it won't make the loaf taste salty.

What does dark chocolate do in baking? ›

Cakes or cookies with cocoa powder need less flour than those without, and a sweet made with dark chocolate will be tougher than one made with milk. It adds texture: What makes mousse, frosting, glaze, and ganache so infatuating? Fat!

Can I substitute dark chocolate chips for semisweet? ›

Any solid chocolate (bittersweet, semisweet, or milk) can generally be swapped in and out in equal quantities. Just be ready for a slight difference in flavor.

How dark is too dark for banana bread? ›

Bananas can go from yellow with brown spots to totally black and still be okay to eat and use for baking.

What happens when you put too much banana in banana bread? ›

Banana bread recipes typically ask you to use overripe bananas so that they're easier to mush. This means it's tempting to toss all your bananas into the mix when you're ready to bake, to avoid food waste. But if you add too much of the fruit into your batter, your bread could turn out mushy, heavy, and wet.

Is banana bread better with baking soda or baking powder? ›

As a general rule, you can use either baking soda OR baking powder in banana bread – both ingredients will make your banana bread rise. While baking soda will react with acidic ingredients in the batter to raise your bread, baking powder can leaven banana bread without the addition of acidic ingredients.

Are banana chips healthy or fattening? ›

While they may seem healthy at first glance, banana chips can be loaded with calories, saturated fat, and added sugar. For a healthier alternative, look for dehydrated, non-fried banana chips made without added sugar. Better yet, choose a whole banana. If you decide to eat banana chips, be mindful of your portion size.

Is banana chips OK on a diet? ›

Banana Chips are calorie-dense due to the frying process, which adds a significant amount of calories from fat. A small serving of these chips can provide a substantial number of calories, so portion control is essential to avoid overeating.

Are banana chips healthier than potato? ›

One cup banana chips have much higher calories, total fat, saturated fat and sugar than potato chips. Yes, you read that right. But you need to be careful and limit your intake no matter which chips you buy. For a healthier option, choose baked over fried banana chips that are flavoured only with herbs and spices.

What happens if I forgot to put baking soda in my banana bread? ›

Believe it or not, you can actually bake delicious banana bread without baking soda or another leavening agent to help it rise. Generally, it won't rise quite as much, but it will still taste absolutely delicious.

What is the green stuff in banana bread? ›

*The chlorophyll in sunflower seeds may react with baking soda, causing the center of the bread to turn a green color when cool. This is completely harmless! To help keep bread from turning green, you can reduce baking soda by half, or a splash of lemon juice in the batter may also help.

Is baking soda important in banana bread? ›

What happens if I don't add baking soda to banana bread? Without baking soda or a replacement, your bread will be dense and will not rise very much. A small amount of rising can occur naturally, but it's likely that the loaf will be very flat.

Can you use any dark chocolate for baking? ›

Semi-Sweet and Bittersweet Chocolate: These are types of dark chocolate, often used interchangeably in recipes. They're great for baking due to their balanced sweetness and cocoa flavour. Ideal for cookies, brownies, and many other desserts.

Can I substitute dark chocolate chips for cocoa powder? ›

If you're out of cocoa, you can use Sephra Dark Chocolate chips instead. We actually recommend it. The enhanced flavor and moistness is a real plus in all your chocolate recipes.

Do dark chocolate chips taste good in cookies? ›

Balance Is Best

For Choi-Rodriguez, baking with chocolate chips comes down to the balance between bitter and sweet. "At home, I like to use anything that's at least 66 percent and higher. Since the dough itself is sweet, darker chocolate balances it out beautifully," she says.

Can you use dark chocolate instead of baking chocolate? ›

However, since bar chocolate usually contains quite a bit of sugar, you may want to cut down on the amount of sugar in your recipe. But if you don't have any baking chocolate on hand, we recommend using dark chocolate in recipes that call for baking chocolate.

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