Delicious Banana Bread

Hey there! I feel like it's been forever since I've been able to post a new recipe here for you guys. Work has been super busy with Christmas and the huge New Years event at the hotel, but I was also back for my second semester of culinary school. I did great with top grades in almost everything, and lots of high praise. Just one year until I am a fully trained chef! Woo! I can't wait!

With all the chaos lately, I've been struggling a bit to keep up with everything, but I had a few bananas sitting on my counter that were a bit too ripe for us to eat, and it's such a shame to throw away perfectly good food, so I decided to make one of my favourite things: banana bread. It's easy, fast and, most importantly, delicious!

Banana bread is great, but you gotta be able to taste those bananas! That's why I complemented the flavours with some crunchy, slightly bitter walnuts and just a hint of dark chocolate. It tastes even better on the second day when the flavours can develop and the crust and get all gooey. It reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom used to make banana bread, and trust me, it rarely lasted until the next day.

What you'll need

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For one loaf:

3-4 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter (80 ml)
​1 cup sugar (240 ml)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1.5 cups flour (350 ml)
a handful of roughly chopped walnuts
a handful of dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F. Mash up your ripe bananas (the browner they are, the sweeter they will be). Beat melted butter into banana. Beat sugar, egg and vanilla together until it becomes lighter in colour and slighlty fluffy. Stir in banana and butter mixture. In a separate bowl, sift all dry ingredients (except nuts and chocolate) together and stir into wet mixture until combined. Stir in nuts and chocolate at the end. Grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown on the outside, and a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy. If you like your banana bread to have that sweet, gooey exterior, store in plastic.

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I can practically smell the goodness by looking at the photos. I hope you all enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. Drop me a line below and share on Facebook if you liked this recipe and let me know what else you'd like to see. If you're looking for other banana recipes that are a bit lighter and healthier, but still satisfy that sweet tooth and craving for ice cream, then check out my super yummy guilt-free banana ice cream.

As always, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as QuiteChefy. Your support is always greatly appreciated!

​Until next time, keep warm and stay chefy!

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