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The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe is ultra moist and loaded with ripe bananas and gooey chocolate chip morsels! This quick bread is best served for breakfast, dessert, and anytime in between!
Banana Bread is a family favorite on a lazy weekend morning. We like to slather a little bit of butter on a slice and call it breakfast. It is honestly good enough without the butter, but it gives it a decadence you cannot beat.
Except maybe when you add in chocolate chips to the whole shebang! This is one of my sons and son in loves favorites! They smell it baking and come a-running!
What makes this so moist and delicious?
- Ripe bananas are the foundation of the best banana bread recipe! The natural sugars in them give a depth of flavor and sweetness. You will want to look for bananas to start developing brown spots and become soft to the touch. They will be very easy to mash with a fork. Just be sure to leave a little bit of chunky consistency (like applesauce) for great texture to your banana bread.
- Butter – Well in my book butter just makes everything better! But it really does! It adds a richness and flavor you cannot beat!
- Sour Cream seals the deal in this bread y’all! It’s got a touch of tang and just makes this melt in your mouth moist! You will never go back to another recipe once you try this one!
- Mini Chocolate Chips – I love to use mini chips because they distribute so nicely throughout the bread. Any size will do though. Semi sweet are my go to for just the right amount of sweetness. I always say use what you like and tickles your taste buds!
What if I don’t have ripe bananas for the bread?
How to ripen bananas for banana bread.
It’s not hard to ripen your bananas. There are actually a couple of ways to accomplish this easy task.
- The night before, break apart your bananas an place them in a brown paper bag. This allows the bananas to release a chemical called ethylene. It will speed up the ripening in a hurry (Just in time for deliciousness)!
- You can often find ripened bananas at your grocery store. They will be near the bottom or ask someone in your produce section if they have pulled any off the shelves.
- You can place bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 300° for 15 to 20 minutes. Once they are completely browned they are ready. Make sure to let them cool before using.
- The microwave can even work as well. Pierce the bananas with a fork a couple of times and microwave for 1 minute or until they have softened.
- Ripened banana freeze well too! So if you have them just pull them out about 30 minutes to 1 hour before you need them to thaw.
So many ways you can make this chocolate chip banana bread even when you don’t have ripened bananas on hand! AND that’s a good thing cause once you make this one you will be craving it again and again!
Can I add nuts to this banana bread?
Absolutely! They are delicious. When I put nuts in I usually replace half of the chocolate chips with walnuts or pecans! A softer nut works really well. If you want to use something like pistachios, almonds, or peanuts make sure you chop them up.
Nuts are so scrumptious and I highly recommend trying it!
Variations of add ins in place of chocolate chips in banana bread.
It’s fun to experiment with recipes and I think many varieties of chips would work well in this bread. I am thinking caramel bits (add in a little cinnamon too), chopped up hazelnut chocolate, toffee bits (or chocolate covered toffee bits), dark chocolate, peanut butter chips, butterscotch or maybe even your favorite candy bars – like a butterfinger! YUM!
The sky’s the limit, (or your imagination), that is!
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How to store fresh banana bread?
- The best way store this chocolate chip banana bread recipe, when you plan to eat right away, is on the counter – in a cool dry place. Placing it in the refrigerator tends to remove the moisture and dry it out prematurely.
- Place it on a plate and wrap well with plastic wrap or foil, or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- It is still okay to eat for up to 5 or 6 days, but it tends to dry out!
If you see any signs of mold – toss it out!
Can you freeze this recipe?
Oh yes! If you have any left! GO ahead and make a double batch of this and you will be all set.
How to freeze chocolate chip banana bread.
- Just wrap it in plastic wrap a couple of times around and place in a freezer bag. This gives an extra barrier to keep it fresh.
- You can wrap it in a whole loaf, cut in half, or freeze the slices.
- It stores well for 2 to 4 months while maintaining its flavor.
- It will store longer but most likely will develop freezer burn! No good y’all!
Other sweet bread recipes to try!
My friend over at Norine’s Nest has a delicious Lemon Zucchini Bread to try and Sheila at Life, Love, and Good Food has a Chocolate Cherry Loaf that looks scrumptious too!
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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 bananas ripe, mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 9 X 5 loaf pan with baking spray. (You can also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper leaving edges coming up on the short side of the pan to help with easy removal).
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using paddle attachment or hand mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time until just combined.
- Add in mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Mix until blended.
- Slowly mix in flour until combined.
- Fold chocolate chips into batter (you can also reserve 1/4 cup for top, if desired). Then transfer into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining chips on top.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until center comes out mostly clean when checked with a toothpick or cake tester). Let rest for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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Nutrition Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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