Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread

It's no secret that I love banana bread.  But sometimes I end up with so many bananas that need using up that after a week of eating plain banana bread I'm ready for a change.  I'm not one to waste, so throwing away brown bananas because I don't feel like regular banana bread isn't really an option.  I was thrilled when I found this recipe for chocolate marbled banana bread.  

How can you make banana bread better?  Add chocolate of course, this pretty much works for most things in life.  What's great about this recipe is that it really doesn't take that much more time to make that a normal batch of banana bread.  Eat hot out of the oven with a big ol' slab of butter and you will be happy.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (wait till those naners are soft & really brown)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
In medium bowl combine vanilla, eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, melted butter.  Gently fold into flour mixture just until moistened, batter will be lumpy.  Transfer about a third of the batter to a smaller bowl.
Using double boiler method or the microwave melt the chocolate chips.  Add melted chocolate the the third of batter you set aside and mix well.

Place alternating sections of plain batter and chocolate batter into the prepared loaf pan.  

Use a butter knife to  cut through the batter and marble it.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then serve with butter.  Enjoy!

Mother's Day Brunch

Here are some good ideas for whipping up your mom a fabulous brunch on her special day.  {click on the title to get the recipe}

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Pull-Apart Sticky Buns

Sour Cream Pancakes

Popeyes with Cheese Sauce

Baked French Toast with Praline Topping

Dill Red Potatoes Hash Browns

Dutch Baby

Iced Coffee

Black & Blue Crumb Bars

Banana Bread French Toast

Banana Blueberry Muffins

You have to make these!  They are so moist, like banana bread, but convenient like a muffin.  The combination of blueberries & bananas is a winner.  And the crumble topping will brighten your day.  So if you've got a few brown bananas lying around whip this baby up, you won't regret it.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
2 large ripe (& by ripe I mean really brown) bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted & slightly cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons Sugar in the Raw
Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
Mix together using fork until mixture resembles cornmeal.  A few lumps are good.

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray or use liners.  Using an electric mixer beat together bananas, eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, & vanilla until well blended.  Stir in flour, baking powder, & salt.  Mix until just incorporated (don't mix too long or your muffins will be tough).  Using a spoon, gently fold in blueberries.
Scoop batter into muffin tin, about 2/3 way full.  Evenly spoon topping on top of each muffin.  Sprinkle sugar in the raw on top of each muffin.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove from oven & let cool for a bit.  Enjoy!

Banana Bread French Toast

The banana bread recipe I use makes a lot of banana bread.  There always is a little hunk that sits for a few days after the initial feasting of the banana bread, which usually happens right when it come out of the oven.  Well, I decided to get creative with that last hunk of bread.  I don't want it to go to waste after all.  So the other morning I made french toast out of it & let me tell ya', it was awesome!  Here's how...
Make on Banana Bread recipe (let it sit overnight or up to 3 days before using for french toast)
Slice into 1/2 inch pieces (works best if bread is chilled before slicing)
Beat together 3 eggs, 1/3 cup half & half, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Heat up a skillet over medium heat.  Coat both sides of banana bread in egg mixture & put into hot pan.  Let cook 1-2 minutes on each side & serve warm with butter & maple syrup.  Enjoy!

Best Banana Bread

My family adores banana bread.  I've tried a billion different recipes, but Pioneer Woman's is by far my favorite. First of all it does not include nuts- I don't like nutty or seedy bread.  Secondly, it makes a ton, & I mean a ton, of bread.  Which in my family means it will last two days instead of one.  I know I've directed you towards this recipe before, but I wanted to get it on the Mixing Bowl page so I thought I better post it.  The only thing that I add to this recipe is 2 teaspoons of vanilla, just 'cuz.  My extra drop of wisdom for this bread is this: use very, very brown bananas.  Wait till those babies look super dark & mushy, then they will make the perfect banana bread.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
2 sticks soften butter
1 1/2 + 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
4 1/8 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup sour cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease & flour a bunt pan or two large loaf pans.
Cream butter & sugar.  Add vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time beating in between.  Mix in mashed bananas.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients & sour cream alternately, mixing in between.  Beat well until all ingredients are well combined, batter will be very thick.
Pour into pan & bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
Turn upside down on a cooling rack & allow bread to cool a bit before serving.  Enjoy!

Try This... You Won't Regret It

The other night I decided to make banana bread.  I was feeling risky so I wavered from my ol' standby recipe & looked for a new one.  I officially have found my new fav way of making banana bread.  You need to try it!  Its so yummy, and light, and has good texture, and a great crust, and, the best part, it makes a ton of bread.  My family has been eating it for a couple of days now at breakfast, second breakfasties, snack, bedtime snack... you get the idea.  Make sure to have a warm piece right out of the oven and slather it in butter.  So, do yourself a favor and whip up some of this banana bread... you won't regret it.

Get the Recipe Here

*I added 2 teaspoons of Vanilla, because that's just the way I do it.
**My bunt pan is currently in storage so I used 2 bread pans instead, worked great.
***This would make a ton of mini loaves, which make great gifts, especially for me ;)