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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Try this chocolate chip banana bread recipe: the best way to use the ripe fruit! It’s moist and sweet, flavored with brown butter.

Got ripe bananas ripening on the counter? Here’s a decadent way to use them: this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! This recipe takes the standard up a notch by using browned butter, infusing a rich, nutty flavor into the entire loaf. It’s perfectly moist, studded with semi-sweet bits of chocolate and scented with just the right hint of cinnamon. In a word, it’s downright heavenly.

Ingredients in this chocolate chip banana bread recipe

This chocolate chip banana bread are pretty standard, with the exception of the browned butter which we’ll cover below. It includes a bit of whole wheat flour and a little less chocolate chips than the standard: but it tastes just as decadent. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

Very ripe bananas
Butter
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Vanilla
Baking soda, cinnamon, and salt
All-purpose flour
Whole wheat flour
Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Tips for browned butter

The best part of this chocolate chip banana bread? It’s flavored with browned butter. Browned butter is butter that’s heated until it turns light brown, bringing out a complex, nutty flavor. It takes just a few minutes, and if you have to melt butter for a recipe anyway, why not make browned butter? Here are a few tips:

Slice it into pieces for even melting. This way, the butter is heated at the same rate (vs a entire stick melting gradually).
Butter browns quickly, so keep an eye on it. Don’t leave the stove! It can go from browned to burned in an instant.
Remove it to a bowl to stop the cooking. This helps to prevent burning. Cool it for a minute before adding to the wets for your batter.

Mix-ins and flavor variations

Chocolate chip banana bread is one thing, but add another flavor or mix-in and you’ll really impress whoever you’re baking for. Here are a few ideas:

Chopped nuts: Add ¼ to ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Other chips: Use a mix of chocolate and peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips
Sea salt: Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to the top after baking
Orange zest: Add ½ teaspoon orange zest to the batter
Bourbon: Add 1 tablespoon bourbon for a boozy nuance
Sprinkles: Add a dash of sprinkles to the top, because why not?

More ripe banana recipes

There are so many ways to make a great banana bread…and don’t stop there! Make muffins, pancakes, cake, and more! Here are a few top ripe banana recipes to try:

Try fan favorite Healthy Banana Muffins or Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Go for a batch of Banana Pancakes, Banana Oatmeal Pancakes or Vegan Banana Pancakes
Blend up a Banana Peach Smoothie or Chocolate Banana Smoothie
Try easy Easy Banana Nut Bread or Gluten Free Banana Bread
Bake up a pan of Banana Baked Oatmeal
Opt for decadent Chocolate Banana Muffins or Easy Chocolate Banana Bread

Go-To Banana Pancakes

Healthy Banana Muffins

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 12 slices
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

Try this chocolate chip banana bread recipe: the best way to use the ripe fruit! It’s moist and sweet, flavored with brown butter.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 medium bananas)
½ cup unsalted or salted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (or flax eggs for vegan)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8 or 9-inch loaf pan.
Brown the butter: Place the butter (sliced into pieces) in a skillet over medium heat. Heat for a few minutes until it melts, turns foamy, and then starts to become golden brown in color and smells nutty. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool for a minute before adding to the batter.
Make the batter: Mash the bananas in the bottom of a large bowl, enough for 1 ¼ cup. Whisk in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Add the browned butter once it’s ready.
Add the baking soda, cinnamon, kosher salt, all-purpose flour, and whole wheat flour to another bowl and mix. Add to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir together with a spoon. Gently fold in ½ cup chocolate chips.
Bake: Pour the batter into the loaf pan and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips. Bake 55 to 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean (or the internal temperature is 200 degrees): the exact timing will depend on the size of the pan. Optional: add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt when you remove the bread from the oven.
Cool: Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Storage info: The bread lasts 4 to 5 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, refrigerated for 10 days, or frozen for 3 months (slice it into pieces and wrap it in plastic wrap then a freezer-safe bag or container).

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Quick bread
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Baked

Keywords: Chocolate chip banana bread, chocolate chip banana bread recipe, banana chocolate chip bread

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Fennel Salad with Parmesan

This shaved fennel salad is light and refreshing, pairing the raw vegetable with apple, lemon, and Parmesan cheese.

“I thought I didn’t like fennel salads, until I tried this one.” That was my dad after taking a few bites of this salad, and what an endorsement! This delightful fennel salad is one anyone can enjoy despite any preconceptions, pairing the shaved raw vegetable with sweet apple, zingy lemon and savory Parmesan cheese. Delicate fennel fronds make a feathery garnish, and each bite is irresistibly crunchy with a pop of acidity. Welcome to our (and your?) new favorite side dish, versatile enough to pair with fish, chicken, or vegetarian mains beautifully.

Ingredients in fennel salad

There are several common flavor pairings with the licorice bite of fresh fennel. A common Mediterranean pairing is fennel and orange, like this Fennel Orange Salad. This shaved salad features fennel and apple, another ideal pairing where the sweetness of the fruit offsets the licorice crunch of the vegetable. Here’s what you’ll need for this salad:

Fresh fennel heads, plus fennel fronds for garnish
Apple
Parmesan cheese
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

How to cut fennel

The most difficult part of this fennel salad? Thinly slicing the fennel! This vegetable can be tricky if you haven’t worked with it before. Here are the basic steps to how to cut fennel: or head to this video tutorial for more!

Chop off the stalks and root end. Using a large chef’s knife, chop off the fennel stalks. Save them because you’ll use the wispy parts, the fronds, in the salad. Cut off the root end.
Remove outer layers. Remove any tough outer layers of the fennel and discard them.
Slice in half, then in half moons. Slice down the center of the fennel bulb. Place it on its cut side and cut very thin half-moon slices parallel to the root end.

Remember to save those wispy parts: the fennel fronds! They look a bit like dill, and infuse even more fresh flavor into the salad.

Tips for fennel salad

This fennel salad is ultra simple: toss all the ingredients together with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. It makes for beautifully fresh flavor with very simple ingredients. Here are a few more things to note with this fennel salad:

Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving. It’s best right away, but you can refrigerate for a few hours if necessary.
It lasts up to 3 days refrigerated. It does lose some flavor over time, so refresh the flavors with more salt, lemon juice or lemon zest as needed.
Other flavor adders? Add a crunchy nut like chopped pecans, walnuts, or pistachios. Add sliced shallot for another savory element. Or swap apples for oranges and add thinly sliced red onion.

More fresh fennel recipes

Fresh fennel is a unique vegetable that adds intrigue in flavor: its raw licorice flavor is softened when cook. Here are a few ideas to try after this fennel salad:

Make Perfect Roasted Fennel
Try Fennel Orange Salad
Add it to Tuscan Soup with White Beans or Best Ever Lentil Soup
Try our 10 Favorite Fennel Recipes

Perfect Roasted Fennel

Fennel Orange Salad

How to Cut Fennel

10 Fantastic Fennel Recipes

This fennel salad recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.