Last month Mom and I catered an event for my work. It wasn’t a big job, just cookies for tea time, appetizers for a cocktail hour, and then a continental breakfast the following morning. As part of the breakfast spread we made three different types of quick breads: pumpkin and cranberry (both well-tested winners from our archives!) and then we experimented with a chocolate chip banana bread. As soon as we sliced into it we knew it wasn’t quite right. People ate it and enjoyed it, but Mom and I weren’t happy – it just wasn’t the best. As cooks, we’re always our own worst critics, right? The bread was denser than we wanted it to be. We were determined to perfect that recipe – and we finally nailed it.
This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Drizzle has everything we wanted. It’s light, moist, and full of banana flavor. The chocolate chips add an element of decadence, yes, but the peanut butter drizzle knocks it out of the park. We cut into it warm and I devoured two slices in a matter of minutes. I brought in the rest of the loaf to the office and word of this amazing bread traveled fast. It wasn’t long before people were stopping by my desk asking for a slice! Before I would have said that our cranberry bread is my favorite of our quick breads, but combining all my favorite flavors (chocolate, peanut butter, and banana) this is now very firmly ensconced in first place.
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons milk, plus extra to get to drizzle consistency
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat eggs and sugar, then butter and banana in a large bowl. Mix in dry ingredients, and then chocolate chips. Pour into an 9-inch greased loaf pan; bake until golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit in pan to firm up, just a few minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
- Meanwhile, mix peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, and peanuts in a small bowl. Add enough milk to get to thick drizzle consistency. Drizzle over banana bread and serve.
It’s 11:28 and I am sitting at my desk trying to figure out how many minutes until I can go make this and have a slice of it warm right out of the oven! I’m not big on sweets, but daaaaaaaaang if this doesn’t make my mouth water and my tummy rumble. Can’t wait to try it!
I smashed my overripe bananas last week so that I could bake up a couple of loaves of this bread for Thanksgiving. As soon as I “share my comment” I’m heading straight to the kitchen to make them. I’m planning to give one away and take the other one to my mom, aunt, and cousins in AL–no loaf for me! #desperate4moreripebananas!
I bet that’s one happy baby at the moment :). I’m not usually a sweets person either, but I’m with Sharon…this must be tried immediately!
This looks SO good! The peanut butter drizzle is amazing!
Oh my goodness, that drizzle is fabulous!! Love this bread!
Whoa!! I can see why this is your favorite!
Oh my word! That peanut butter drizzle looks out of this world amazing!
Oh yeah baby, the drizzle does knock it out of the park both flavor wise and looks wise
too. How lucky we are for food bloggers who perfect recipes. The modern home economists—–it certainly helps us make fab food. Plus then we get all the praise. Ha!
wow – Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Drizzle – this looks so good.
A hit! Dee-lish!
I just made this, and it is SOOOO scrumptious!! My kids loved it also! It was gone in 10 minutes! Yum!