Double Chocolate Banana Bread

This Double Chocolate Banana Bread recipe takes banana bread up a notch by adding rich cocoa & chocolate chips. It's an easy and moist quick bread, rich with the flavor of chocolate and bananas. It's delicious for breakfast and even better for dessert.

Easy Banana Recipes

Bananas are one of my favorite foods. They're not only healthy, full of potassium, fiber, and antioxidants, but so versatile too, lending their sweet flavor to a delicious range of sweet and savory dishes.

Thank goodness I love bananas so much and there are so many recipes where they shine. I love to make Banana Nut Muffins, Peanut Butter Banana Cookies, Banana Nut Granola, and Banana Snack Cake among other things, but today I thought I would bring a little chocolate magic into the mix. 'Cause bananas and chocolate, duh!

What Else Can I Do with Overripe Bananas?

• Replace eggs in chewy baked goods like brownies with 1 ripe banana for every egg.
• Replace butter in baked goods using the same amount of mashed bananas as butter and slightly reduce the cooking time.
• Use a ripe banana as a flour substitute in Banana Pancakes.
• Freeze slices of banana and cover them with chocolate for a cool treat that's actually healthy.
• And one of my favorites, make soft-serve ice cream. It's healthy, creamy, and totally delicious.

Chocolate Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

If you're like me, you're always in a chocolate frame of mind. So combining chocolate and bananas to make a deliciously moist bread is a great thing! And adding chocolate chips to banana bread just makes it so much better!

Why You'll Love This Double Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe

This banana bread is super easy to make and requires no mixer. It's the perfect treat to make when you're in a hurry and don't want a lot of dishes to wash. Just check out the steps below and you'll get a moist delicious chocolate banana bread every time.

This chocolate banana bread is full of the richness of cocoa, indulgent with semi-sweet chocolate chips, and extra moist from sweet bananas.

It's perfect for a breakfast treat, a mid-afternoon snack, or even dessert. And if you place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a slice, it really puts it over the top!

Ingredients

This chocolate chocolate chip banana bread is made with simple ingredients. Here's a quick list:

• Ripe bananas
• White granulated sugar
• Shortening
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Cocoa powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Chocolate chips

How to Quickly Ripen Bananas

To speed up the ripening process, place bananas in a paper bag in a warm area for 1 to 2 days.

For even faster ripening, bake unpeeled bananas at 300°F for about 30 minutes, until they are black and soft to the touch. Allow them to cool before using them for baking.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Use butter instead of shortening. You'll need an additional 1 tablespoon of butter because butter is not 100% fat like shortening.
• Substitute some or all of the white sugar with brown sugar.
• Use mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks instead of regular-sized chocolate chips.

How to Make Double Chocolate Banana Bread

1. In a large bowl, place sugar and shortening together.
2. Cream them together using a fork or an electric mixer until there is no loose sugar present.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
4. Stir in mashed bananas.

5. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Mix dry ingredients into banana-egg mixture.
7. Stir just until all flour is incorporated.
8. Fold in chocolate chips.
9. Mix until chips are well distributed.
10. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F for about 1 hour.

11. Remove the quick bread from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and finish cooling the banana bread on the rack.

Slice and serve this delicious chocolate banana bread with chocolate chips for a snack, dessert, or dare I say breakfast. It's great warm or at room temperature and I wouldn't say no to a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Just sayin'!

Recipe Tips

• Use room temperature ingredients.
• Don't overmix the batter for quick bread as it will cause it to develop gluten and bake up dense and dry.
• Use only ripe bananas. Ripe bananas are mostly or all black on the outside.
• Line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal. If you grease the pan first the parchment will stick to the pan.
• Use an aluminum loaf pan or other light-colored metal loaf pan for best results. Dark pans cause scorching on the edges. Glass and ceramic pans take longer to bake and can cause the bread to be underbaked in the center and collapse. If you use a glass or ceramic pan, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees and increase the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes, until the center of the bread is at least 200°F.
• Do not overbake the bread. Test the bread for doneness about 5 minutes prior to the end of the baking time. It's done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note that it may have melted chocolate on it if it goes through chocolate chips.
• Cool the bread in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before removing it to cool on a wire rack.
• Remember to let the bread cool before slicing it to prevent it from crumbling apart.

Recipe Variations

• Cinnamon - Add 1 teaspoon
• Coconut - Substitute half of the chocolate chips with sweetened coconut flakes.
• Nuts - Substitute half or all of the chocolate chips with pecans or walnuts.
• Peanut Butter Chips instead of chocolate chips.
• Drizzle melted chocolate chips on top of the cooled bread.

How to Serve Chocolate Banana Bread

A freshly baked slice of banana chocolate bread is wonderful just as it is. However, you can bump it up with these ways to serve it.

• Spread some peanut butter or other nut butter on the slices.
• Fry slices in a skillet with butter and serve with syrup.
• Make it a dessert by topping a slice with whipped cream or ice cream and chocolate syrup or more chocolate chips.

How to Store

Wrap the bread in plastic or aluminum foil or place it in an airtight container. You can store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To freeze the bread, wrap it in plastic wrap and then either another layer of aluminum foil or place the plastic-wrapped bread in a plastic freezer bag. Freezing individual slices is a great idea. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge or on the counter.

You can warm up bread slices in the microwave on HIGH for 10 to 15 seconds.

More Delicious Banana Bread Recipes

Classic Banana Bread is full of banana flavor in an easy-to-make quick bread

Churro Bread with cinnamon sugar swirl and topping

Banana Chocolate Swirl Bread is moist and sweet with a swirl of chocolate

Nutella Swirled Banana Bread with chocolate chips is a decadent treat

Find more quick bread recipes on 2CM!

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This post has been updated with easy step-by-step instructions and new photos. It was first published on October 14, 2015.