Chocolate Banana Bread

Originally, I made this as a loaf of bread. I love sweet loaves. But recently, I made the muffin version and got some prettier pictures! 

(original photo of chocolate banana loaf. Chocolate bread is so hard to photograph)

I know when you think summer fruit you're not like, "Hey bananas." But we've always got a bunch hanging there in the kitchen getting spotty way faster than in the winter and needing to be used just as desperately as any bowl of berries. We also have a few more pleasant sleepy-in mornings than we do during the school year (thank goodness). These mornings and a batch of old bananas are the perfect summer combination.

This week we made these into a bread. They can become muffins even easier (think 20 minutes instead of 60).

Chocolate Banana Bread

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes on loaf pan or about 12 muffins

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes (for loaf)

Cost: $2.45 (or about $.20/serving)

bananas: .40, butter: .50, sugar: .10, egg: .10, flour: .10, cocoa: .30, chocolate chips: .80, other stuff: .15

3 medium over ripe bananas

1/2 C butter, melted

3/4 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 C flour (I used 1/4 whole wheat and 3/4 all-purpose)

1/2 C cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 C chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 350 and spray a loaf pan generously. 

Mash bananas in a bowl. Add melted butter, granulated sugar. Mix. Add egg and vanilla. Mix. Add dry ingredients (sure, you're supposed to pre-mix these, but I never do; I just throw them in--be sure your cocoa isn't super clumpy though). 

Pour into pan and bake for 55-65 minutes (I use the 7x5 loaf pan rather than the larger size and it is on the long end. If you use a bigger one, you'll probably be on the shorter end time-wise). When a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs attached, you're done. 

Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes and turn out. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Chocolate Banana Blender "Ice Cream"

If you have any presence on Pinterest at all, you've surely seen the "One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream" or perhaps the "Two Ingredient Banana Chocolate Ice Cream." These consist of frozen bananas blended in a food processor until they're creamy and ice-cream-esque.

It seemed like a great idea, so I set out to make my own. However--perhaps because my food processor is insufficient or perhaps because my taste buds are too accustomed to regular ice cream--these didn't work for me. My bananas never got to the fully creamy state--they were always a little chunky and so then my concoction just tasted like a "Frozen Banana That Somebody Whacked Up and Put in a Bowl" or "Frozen Banana That Somebody Whacked Up and Put in a Bowl with Cocoa Powder Mixed In." Obviously neither of these was really rocking my world.

 So then I added some peanut butter and a then a bit of Nutella. I thought this would do the trick, but when they met with the frozen banana, they seized up and the mixture got really thick (and still not creamy). So then I gave up on veganism (though not quite on healthiness) and dropped in a bit of homemade Greek yogurt. And badabing badabam. It worked. Not only worked, but it was really really delicious. Really Really. And we added sprinkles for fun.

 (Also, you could add spinach and never taste it, but it will make this a slightly odd color that your kids might not go for.)

I toyed with the idea of calling this "sugar free" even though bananas clearly have sugar in them. Yet there are no other "added" sugars--either of the processed white sugar variety or the natural honey/maple syrup types, so I still think "sugar-free" works pretty well to describe this. You can add a bit of Nutella if you have it, but you can totally love this without that too.

Chocolate Banana Blender "Ice Cream"
adapted from all those internet recipes for banana "ice cream"
Serves 4-6 smallish servings
Prep time: 7 minutes
Cost: $1.05
bananas: .55, cocoa: .15, peanut butter: .10, Greek yogurt: .25 (or much cheaper if you make your own)

3-4 frozen ripe bananas (in chunks or slices)
3-4 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1-2 Tbsp Nutella (optional)
2-4 Tbsp thick Greek yogurt

Use a food processor or fairly nice blender. Blend bananas until they're chopped up pretty well. Add cocoa, peanut butter, Nutella (if using), and give it a few pulses--it'll get really thick, (so don't go and ruin the motor on your food processor or anything). Add Greek yogurt and pulse until mixture becomes smooth and creamy. I had to stop occasionally to mix my mixture because at first it would clump up in a ball, so I'd take a spoon and sort of redistribute the mixture and then pulse/blend some more. Eventually it got itself going and blended into a thick, smooth delicious concoction.

Eat. With sprinkles if you like to dance with the devil.

PRINTABLE RECIPE