Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

My neighbor handed me a brown paper bag of bananas one afternoon, and I realized I had three sitting on my counter at home already—too many to eat before they turned. So I dug through my pantry and found old chocolate chips, and within an hour I'd made this banana bread. It came out of the oven smelling like caramel and toast, and I've been making it ever since.

I brought a loaf to my book club once, and someone said it tasted like the banana bread their grandmother made—which felt like the highest compliment. That one moment made me realize the best recipes are the ones that slip into people's memories without fanfare.

Ingredients

• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup): Look for bananas that are mostly brown with just a hint of yellow—they're sweeter and more flavorful than ones that are mostly yellow.
• 115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled: Cooling it slightly keeps the eggs from scrambling when you mix everything together.
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk: This keeps the crumb tender without making the bread gummy.
• 2 large eggs: They bind everything together and add richness.
• 200 g (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour: Don't pack it into the measuring cup—scoop and level for the right amount.
• 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar: This balances the banana's natural sweetness.
• 1 tsp baking soda: This reacts with the acidic bananas to help the bread rise.
• 1/2 tsp salt: A small pinch that makes all the flavors pop.
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional): Adds warmth, but leave it out if you prefer the banana to shine through.
• 120 g (2/3 cup) semisweet chocolate chips: They melt slightly in the warm batter, creating little pockets of chocolate.
• 80 g (2/3 cup) chopped walnuts: Toasting them first brings out their flavor, but raw works fine too.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract: A small thing that rounds out all the other flavors.

Instructions

Set up your pan and heat the oven:

Preheat to 175°C (350°F) and grease your loaf pan or line it with parchment paper so the bread doesn't stick. This takes just a minute but saves frustration later.

Mix the dry ingredients:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. This distributes the leavening evenly so your bread rises gently and doesn't dome too much on top.

Combine the wet ingredients:

In another bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, cooled melted butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. It should look creamy and relatively lump-free.

Bring everything together:

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined—stop as soon as you don't see streaks of flour. Overmixing toughens the crumb and makes the bread dense, so resist the urge to be thorough here.

Add the chocolate and walnuts:

Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a few gentle turns of the spatula so they're distributed throughout without breaking them apart.

Transfer to the pan:

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and use the back of a spatula to smooth the top so it bakes evenly. You can tap the pan on the counter once or twice to release any big air bubbles.

Bake until golden:

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes—start checking around the 50-minute mark with a toothpick inserted into the center. It's done when the toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Cool with patience:

Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes so it sets enough to handle, then turn it out onto a wire rack. It's tempting to slice into it while it's warm, but waiting until it's completely cool gives you cleaner slices.

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I made this bread on a rainy afternoon when the kitchen felt like the warmest room in the house, and the smell of it baking made my kids wander in to see what I was doing. That simple moment—them asking if it was done yet, the comfort of something homemade cooling on the rack—reminded me why I bake in the first place.

Choosing Your Bananas Wisely

The ripeness of your bananas makes more difference than you might think. If they're still mostly yellow, they're too starchy and won't add much banana flavor or moisture to the bread. When they start to show brown spots and feel a little soft in your palm, that's when they're perfect—they've converted their starches to sugar and will give you that deep banana flavor. I've learned to keep a small bag of very ripe bananas in the freezer just for moments like this, peeled and ready.

The Chocolate Chip Factor

Don't underestimate how much the type of chocolate chip matters here. Semisweet chips are the classic choice because they're sweet enough to feel like a treat but not so dark that they compete with the banana. I've tried dark chocolate chips and they bring a sophistication to the bread, but they can overpower it if you're looking for something comforting and straightforward. The chips soften in the warm batter, so you get little pockets of melted chocolate with every slice.

Making It Your Own

Once you've made this bread once or twice, you'll know exactly how to bend the rules to suit your taste. Some mornings I skip the cinnamon entirely, other times I add a tiny pinch of nutmeg. The walnuts can be swapped for pecans or omitted altogether if nuts aren't your thing or if you're cooking for someone with allergies. Dark chocolate chips work beautifully if you want something less sweet, and a drizzle of honey over a warm slice is absolutely worth the extra step.

• Toast your walnuts for a few minutes in a dry pan first to bring out their natural flavor before chopping and folding them in.
• Store the cooled bread wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze it for up to a month.
• Slice it while it's still slightly warm and serve with a tiny pat of butter or a spoonful of honey if you want to make it feel fancy.

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This bread has become my go-to when I want to feel like I've done something thoughtful without it ever feeling like hard work. It's one of those recipes that quietly proves you're a good person in the kitchen.

Recipe FAQs

→ Can I use different nuts instead of walnuts?

Yes, pecans or almonds work well as substitutes, adding their own distinct texture and flavor.

→ How ripe should the bananas be?

Very ripe bananas with brown spots provide the best natural sweetness and moisture for the bread.

→ What’s the best way to check if it’s baked fully?

Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.

→ Can I use dark chocolate chips instead of semisweet?

Absolutely, dark chocolate chips will offer a richer, less sweet contrast to the banana flavor.

→ Is it okay to overmix the batter?

Avoid overmixing to keep the bread tender; stir gently until just combined.