Rainy Day: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

WOOHOO! The weekend is here! This week included tons of activities, an abrasion on my eye, and my oldest explaining to another Mom, “You don’t have to tell your daughter to stop picking her nose. Sometimes, I pick my nose. We are kids and sometimes kids have to pick their nose!” (total mother of the year moment, I wanted to crawl in a hole and die).

I know yesterday when I put out my autumn decorations it didn’t seem like fall here yet, but the forecast for the weekend calls for cool temperatures and some rain. To me this is perfect baking weather. The kitchen stays cool, and it is the perfect activity to do with the kids. So, after the busy (and crazy) week we have had, I thought I would make one of the kids favorite sweet treats: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. (The kids like this even more than the chocolate chip zucchini bread I made a few months ago).

A few weeks ago, I browsed around the internet, and from a few different recipes I created this one. Earlier in the week I talked about how baking cookies for someone can show you care, but I think this bread will help bring us some comfort on this rainy weekend.

Erin’s Rainy Day Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

3 large ripe bananas, mashed and set aside
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted and then cooled to room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbs flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a bread loaf pan and set aside.

In large bowl sift together 1 1/2 cups flower, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and then set aside. In a smaller bowl, take remaining flour and toss together with chocolate chips until chocolate chips are coated with flour (This is my mom’s trick to keep the chocolate chips to well distributed throughout bread).

Using a stand mixer to a hand mixer on medium speed, mix together mashed bananas, sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla until well combined. Then with mixer on low speed at flour mixture until just incorporated. Finally, mix in chocolate chips.

Put in greased bread pan, and bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This is what it should look like when done. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Linking up today at Serenity Now for Amanda’s weekend blog reading link up. You have to check it out, there are tons of recipes and craft ideas!