Olive Oil Banana Chocolate Bread

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Noelle calls hers, adapted from Melissa Clark, the “chicest banana bread.” My version was a decidedly more down-market affair, but delicious nonetheless. I daresay it’s the best chocolate banana bread I’ve made yet.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from Melissa Clark via xobreakfast
Makes one 9×5 loaf and four muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3-4 ripe bananas
¾ cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
juice of half a lemon
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Notes: I didn’t fill the loaf pan completely to leave room for some extra muffins. If you’re not in a muffin mood the batter will fill out one 9×5 loaf pan perfectly.

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter the loaf pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) in small bowl.
3. In a larger bowl, mash the bananas, then mix in sugar, olive oil, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice.
4. Incorporate the dry into the wet in three parts. Fold the chocolate chips in at the end. Pour batter into pans and muffin cups and bake 45-60 minutes, about 25 minutes for muffins. It’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. Cool in the pan.

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