The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Of all the Banana Breads that I’ve ever tried, this is by far the Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe EVER. No, you do not need to add the chocolate chips to this recipe (it’s completely optional) but why wouldn’t you? In my opinion, it takes a normal Banana Bread Recipe to the next level. This is definitely one of my most popular recipes next to my infamous Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake and Apple Crisp recipe.

This chocolate chip banana bread is extremely easy to make and is also very soft and moist. Sometimes I don’t make it in a loaf pan but rather I make them in muffin tins instead. This is a particularly popular method of making it when you intend on sharing it with your family and friends as I often find people nowadays are a bit health conscious and watching how much “sweets” they are taking in. Since the muffin size banana chocolate chip bread is more bite-sized, they don’t feel as guilty about eating it.

Why use over ripe bananas for banana bread?

When your bananas are starting to turn black, do not throw them away! This is the best time to make banana bread. There are several reasons why it’s best to use over ripe bananas for banana bread versus just ripe bananas:

1. Bananas are sweeter – During the ripening process, the starch in the banana turns into sugar. When they reach the over ripen stage, most of the starch would have already turn into sugar. This will naturally sweeten your bread.
2. Stronger Aromatics – As a result of what is noted above, bananas have a much stronger banana scent and flavour when they are at the over ripen stage. This will significantly enhance the flavour of your banana bread.
3. Easier to Mash – As with most fruits that are overly ripe, they start to turn soft. When it comes to making banana bread where you are required to mash the bananas, this will make your life much easier. The bananas are so soft I can pretty much mash the bananas with a whisk!

Building your stash of over ripe bananas

If you love banana bread (and you will after you try the best chocolate chip banana bread recipe :)) but you have too many over ripe bananas lying around, you can always freeze them for when you want to make banana bread next!

We recommend freezing your bananas in a freezer safe ziplock bag without the skin. In other words, freeze bananas that are already peeled. This will make your life much easier when making your banana bread next time as it will save you the time and effort of trying to peel an overly mushy and watery banana. Don’t worry if your frozen banana ends up being super watery and mushy when thawed, that’s normal and it’s still good to use.

What you need to make this chocolate chip banana bread recipe

Jump to our recipe below to get all the ingredients you need to make this recipe. However, one of the key ingredients you will need for a tender and moist banana bread is buttermilk.

The importance of buttermilk

Not only does buttermilk add a bit of tang to our dish, the acidic properties of buttermilk actually helps tenderize most dishes. In the case of baking, it helps tenderize the gluten which gives breads a softer texture. It also reacts with leaveners (e.g. baking soda) to help give rise to the bread. We actually use buttermilk for a lot of our best recipes such as our Fluffy and Crisp Buttermilk Waffles and our Buttermilk Fried Chicken.

Buttermilk Substitute

If you don’t have buttermilk at home or you’re not able to find it at your local grocery store, you can easily make a substitute by doing the following:

• For each cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) to 1 cup of milk. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes for it to curdle and sour.
• Plain yogurt is also a great substitute for buttermilk as well

Baking pans you’ll need

If you’re making a traditional banana bread, you will need a loaf pan. We recommend the medium Wilton loaf pan which is 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches. If baking in a loaf pan, you’ll need to bake it at 325F for 1hr and 5 mins or until toothpick comes out clean from the centre of the loaf.

Alternatively, you can also turn these into chocolate chip banana muffins by making them in lined muffin trays. If baking in a loaf pan, you’ll need to bake it at 325F for ~20-30 mins or until toothpick comes out clean from the centre of the muffin.

If you tried this recipe and enjoyed it, tag us on instagram @cookingwithteamj. We’d love to see it!

Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

by cookingwithteamj

Category Bread

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup buttermilk*
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour, 5 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 325F (165C) and grease one 9×5 inch loaf pan with oil or spray with non-stick spray. If you’re making these in muffin tins, line them with cupcake liner
• 2. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and oil. Mash in bananas with fork or potato masher and mix to combine.
• 3. Sift together white sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture in thirds and stir until thoroughly combined. Slowly stir in the chocolate chips.
• 4. Pour batter into loaf pan or muffin tins. If you’re making a loaf, bake for 1 hour and 5 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. If you’re making muffins, bake for 20-25 mins or until toothpick comes out clean

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Tags

banana bread,

chocolate chip