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All my banana bread peeps, this is YOUR day!
We are going to chat about maybe, possibly, the bestest banana bread ever… no seriously.
Prepare for all the dramatic words in the world, because this banana bread is too good. And the only words that will do it justice are the super dramatic ones… AND even those may not be enough.
Here’s the deal, I am a serious lover of banana bread. But not just any banana bread, REALLY dang good banana bread… with chocolate chips. I mean, OF COURSE there would have to be chocolate. Growing up, when I first started to get into cooking and baking I was always on the lookout for “healthier” ways to eat my chocolate. For the millionth time, I was a really weird kid.
Anyway, bananas have always been one of my favorite fruits and they are the one and only fruit that I like with my chocolate. Any other fruit paired with chocolate is a NO GO. Wait, unless it’s pureed avocado…in the form of brownies or dates…these are, as of right now, my only two exceptions. Back in the day, mom and I used to bake banana bread as our “healthy” dessert. We figured that since there were loads of bananas in the bread, that must cancel anything “not so healthy” out… Yep, we’re super smart.
Clearly.
When I would bake banana bread back before the blog, I would double the amount of bananas…ok and the amount of chocolate chips… hehe, I totally knew how to do it right.
Just saying 🙂
Because of the double amount of bananas and chocolate chips, the bread would basically never bake completely in the center and I would end up with bread on the edges and dough in the middle. AKA my dream kind of banana bread. I am SO a dough girl. Like the doughier the better (umm, hello, cookie dough!).
But since I started the blog, I’ve learned a few things, and I’ve come up with the most perfect loaf of banana bread. And trust me, it’s perfect… I’ve made it SEVEN times in the last three weeks.
NO JOKE.
I now have at least three loaves in the freezer, the rest have all been consumed and highly enjoyed. The sole reason I made the bread so many times was for photo purposes. I just couldn’t get the bread to look the way it tasted, so I kept trying and trying and trying.
Good news is that one, I have made this loaf to be on the healthier side, and two, my family also loves banana bread so I have had some serious help in eating it all up (thank goodness they are back… and hungry!). Lets just say breakfast and snacks have been taken care of for the month. Oh and yes, the parents even took a loaf with them all the way to Korea. Now that they are back they are still eating banana bread. Last loaf was made… yesterday!
I think by now the people at the grocery store must think I live on bananas. I bought four bunches…TWO days in a row. I also have 3 extremely ripe bunches sitting in my freezer waiting for the next batch of banana bread to be baked. You’d think I would be so over this recipe by now – thank goodness it really is, SO GOOD. One of my favorites!!!
So the recipe for this Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Banana Bread is simple and basic, but you need three important things: ripe bananas (can be ripe off the counter or thawed from the freezer), really good almond butter and chocolate chips. With these three ingredients you will never fail. Sometimes I use chocolate chunks, but I actually just love using semi-sweet chocolate chips best. There are times in life when you just need cute little perfectly sweet chocolate chips, you know?
Again, good almond butter is key in this recipe. It’s what sets this bread apart and makes it completely delish. It’s what takes the banana bread from really good to “can’t stop eating, totally addicting”. Think about it, perfectly moist banana bread with swirls of salty almond butter and semi sweet chocolate chips in every bite.
Yup, PERFECTION!!
AND its all on the healthier side too. Whole wheat flour, greek yogurt, bananas, almond butter, maple syrup and chocolate…ok, the semi sweet chocolate may be a bit of a stretch, but hey, all the rest is pretty dang good for you, so it’s win, win in my book!!
I don’t know about you guys, but I would say my weekend plans are set. Banana bread baking and eating… with a side of the Oscars?!?!
Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Banana Bread.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 overripe brown bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
- 1/4 cup coconut or brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, combine the maple syrup, greek yogurt, egg, vanilla, banana, and sugar until well combined. Beat in the flour, baking soda and salt until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips. Now take the almond butter and add it to the batter in teaspoon full size dollops and then gently swirl it into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips if desired...you may also now push in a few extra teaspoons of almond butter too!
- Place loaf pan on a baking sheet and set in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until center is set. If the top begins to brown (mine did after about 45 minutes), tent the bread with aluminum foil. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Bread will keep (covered) for 3-5 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Yupp. I am so game for that. But really, this bread?? It’s a GAME CHANGER. 🙂
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Well Tieghan – you have done it again – in spite of my ham-fisted-ness the Banana Bread turned out fantastic. This is my go to Banana Bread Recipe from now on. Lovely and light, with a nice crust. I put the foil tent on as soon as it rose, prob 10 mins in, left the tent on for 5o mins, baked it for 60 mins took off the foil the last 10 mins. Oh my – this is so good. Added 1/2 walnuts in place of choc bits. Lite tasting, not sugary, light texture inside, a really really excellent Banana Bread!
oops – I mean left tent on 40 mins…
Reading through all your wonderful comments, thank you so much!! I’m so happy you are liking everything and exploring changing things up! Sounds like fun (:
I couldn’t wait – decided to put 1/2 C walnuts in instead of choc. You might think that would be too dry, except I put in my low-fat greek yogurt (got it by mistake instead of full fat)…sooo, I decided to add a little cream – the cream would not come out (strauss’s creamm – the best) and so I shook it out. Needless to say a whole bunch came out (hoping it was just 1/2 C). I fished the yogurt out and left the cream. Heh – told you – ham-fisted. I just can’t wait to see how this comes out, in the oven as we speak. Fingers crossed.
On second thought – white choc won’t work, it wouldn’t look good with white blobs in it – this looks sooooo good.
Did you use the wheat flour or the all-purpose flour?
Okaaay. At the risk of everyone here saying…”youv’e gotta be kidding!” Is there a way to make it without the choc chips – I don’t really like choc in my stuff – just like it alone, and then it’s not the first thing I grab for. And if there is a way to make this without it, I am so going to try it. I have never made a banana bread that I like, it is always so heavy and dense. But I have tasted good light banana bread, and I am sure it is just me and my ham-fisted baking technique.
Would white choc morsels work?
Hi Reni! Yes, of course you can make this minus the chocolate chips. I think white chocolate will be great. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the bread!
Hi 🙂 i looove banana cake and your recipe sounds amazing <3 i wanna ask if it will be possible to substitute the greek yoghurt with perhaps almond milk? If so, will the measurement change as milk is much more runny than yoghurt…
Hmm, I think almond milk will be fine. I’d use probably the same amount as the yogurt or just a little less. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!
Just to clarify, 3 cups of mashed bananas? Or 3 bananas which = approx 1 cup? Thanks!!
Hey Rachel! So sorry, it is 3 bananas! Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!
Hey!
So I’ve made this bread a few times according to the recipe (followed to the letter) and I absolutely love the taste, but it has turned out a little hard on the crust. I have baked for 30 mins then covered as suggested by a foil tent.
Still, every time the crust of the bread is super tough and the inside is lovely.
Anything I might be doing wrong? Type of flour? Too much baking soda?
C
Hi! Hmm, my crust have never turned out hard. I am not sure what might be the issue. Maybe try covering the bread with foil sooner? Are you baking the bread in the middle of the rack? That typically helps as well. 🙂
Ciara, you might try what I did – I tented it about 10 mins in when it had risen, and I left it on for forty mins, then took it off so it could brown – turned out perfect!
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve received so many compliments on this bread! I’ve made it several times now 🙂
Awh yay!! SO happy everyone liked it!!
What can I substitute the yogurt for in order to make it dairy free preferably something I have in the house-not soy yogurt?
Hi! Use almond milk or whatever your drink. PLease let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment above! I can’t believe I missed the baking soda on my first read.
I’ve now made this twice, more or less exactly as directed, and it is PHENOMENAL. Probably the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten. You can be generous with the bananas (I threw in a bit more than a cup, and it helped the moisture content and makes it taste “more banana-y” as my husband put it) and the yogurt, and I used dark chocolate chunks rather than semi-sweet chips. I found baking longer than 60 minutes, even if it looks a bit “wiggly” leads to it being too dry – but that was my fault for not following directions 😉 Otherwise, it’s the perfect recipe and will be my go-to for years to come! Well done.
I am so happy you love this banana bread so much!! Thank you so much!
Hello! Just stumbled across your site now and the recipes look GORGEOUS, particularly this one. I’d love to try it, but I’m just wondering why this banana bread doesn’t have a leavening agent, when almost every other banana bread recipe I’ve looked at has at least 1 tsp of baking soda – will this not make it quite dense?
Hey G! This actually has baking soda in it. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Do you think sour cream will work in place of the yogurt? It looks so yummy I can’t wait to try!!
Hi your bread and the explanation made me drool I have all the ingredents and cannot wait to try it. But I have a questiom, as a novice baker, I’m not sure what do you mean to add the almond butter in dollops and swirl in. ?? It means add the butter one spoon at a time ?? I try to have a clear picture in my head before start baking it Thank so much and happy holidays !!
Hey Katie!! Basically what I mean is small tablespoon size spoonfuls of almond butted placed in the batter and then gently swirled through the batter with a knife. it does not need to be perfect so I am sure whatever you do will be great Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love the bread, thanks!
How many calories, fat, sugar per serving? Appropriate
Hi Jason! Unfortunately I don’t do calorie counts, as I do not want to be giving false info cause it can be hard for me to really know sometimes sorry!