triple chocolate banana bread

Easy, one-bowl Triple Chocolate Banana Bread. Loaded with chocolate chips and topped with a dark chocolate ganache.

We have an excessive amount of bananas in our freezer. Really, it’s reaching epic proportions. I’ve mentioned before that I consider bananas to have a ridiculously short life span. There’s a 1-2 day window when I consider them edible. Anything outside of that is just… no. Ryan actually prefers them when they are (what I consider) over ripe, aka rotten. You know, when they start to have brown specks on them and the banana smell is WAY too strong. No thank you. It’s usually around this point that they get shoved into the freezer to be used at some undisclosed later date, almost exclusively in banana bread.

I love banana bread. It’s so easy to make, and super versatile. You can jazz it up with chocolate chips or pineapple chunks, add some walnuts or coconut – the possibilities are endless. You can have it for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or even dessert. This triple chocolate banana bread most certainly falls into the dessert category (though I won’t judge you if you sneak a piece for breakfast).

I have made banana bread before, and even fancied it up for a tropical Bundt cake (which was delicious), but I’ve never made a rich, chocolatey version, so that was my priority this week.

Ingredients

• ▢1 1/2 cups flour
• ▢1/2 cup cocoa powder
• ▢1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢1/2 cup butter
• ▢1/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢1/2 cup white sugar
• ▢2 eggs
• ▢4 small bananas mashed (approx. 1 1/3 cups)
• ▢1/2 cup chocolate chips

Topping

• ▢1/4 cup half & half
• ▢2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
• ▢1 teaspoon butter
• ▢1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢6 tablespoons chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
• Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Stir in eggs and bananas. Add banana mixture and chocolate chips to flour mixture. Stir just until combined.
• Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Topping:

• Heat half & half and brown sugar over medium heat until brown sugar has dissolved and tiny bubbles start to form on the edges. Stir in vanilla and butter until melted and turn off heat. Add chocolate chips and do not stir, let sit 2-3 minutes.
• Whisk chocolate chips until smooth. Cool completely and drizzle over bread.

Recipe Notes

A serving is calculated as a 1 inch slice.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Calories: 442, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 76mg, Sodium: 250mg, Potassium: 331mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 38g, Vitamin A: 555IU, Vitamin C: 4.5mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 2.2mg