I have been craving banana bread recently, but have never made it myself! It's been on my list of baked goods to try making, so I started looking up recipes. I found this recipe in the New York Times and adapted it to my own version. I did away with the crumb topping and added whole bananas instead. I also used brown sugar instead of white and added chocolate chips in addition to the walnuts in most banana bread recipes. I love this bread with or without chocolate chips, but I wanted to go all in for a rich flavor.
I will be sharing my tips for making moist banana bread complete with chocolate chips and walnuts.
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Moist Banana Bread Recipe
USE DARK BROWN SUGAR
Dark brown sugar gives a richer, more molasses-style flavor. I prefer it in most recipes!
CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGAR
I always cream the butter and sugar, even the brown sugar. It makes the butter and sugar not only combine thoroughly, it forces air into the recipe which gives your baked goods a lighter texture. This is important as bread can be dense.
DO NOT OVERMIX BATTER
If you have made any of my other baked goods recipes, then you know that my number one rule is to not overmix your batter. Overmixing causes the flour and wet ingredients to continue creating gluten, which makes for dense baked goods. This is especially important for bread!
USE BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS
I use bittersweet chocolate chips in a quality brand for a richer flavor! It makes a difference.
Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Super moist and delicious banana bread recipe with chocolate chips and walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 stick of European butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 2⅓ cups of very ripe bananas (5-6 bananas, plus one extra for topping optional)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using the paddle attachment of your electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the brown sugar and cream together for at least 2 minutes or more, scraping down the sides and continuing for another minute.
- Meanwhile, sift your flour and baking soda into a separate bowl. Add the salt and set aside.
- Returning to your stand mixer, add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing in between eggs. This step will make your mixture very soupy. It's important to scrape down the bowl and mix on high until it's thickening, but it will still be liquid.
- Mash your bananas in a separate bowl into a lumpy mush and add them to the mixer bowl, removing the paddle attachment and switching to a spatula to mix by hand.
- Combine all ingredients until well combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing in between without overmixing. Once just combined, add the chocolate chips and walnuts, stirring until just incorporated.
- Pour your batter into your lined loaf pan. You can slice a banana lengthwise and place it on top if desired. Placed the pan in the oven for 45-60 minutes. I set my timer to 30 minutes and checked it. The top of my bread was getting too brown, so I topped it with foil for the remaining 15 minutes, checked it, and put it back in. You will want to pull it as soon as a test knife comes out clean. Be sure not to overbake it. I checked mine often to avoid drying it out.
- Once the test knife comes out clean, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the bread to a wire rack to let it cool.
