Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Now that the skies are frequently grey and the air is becoming cold, I'm having fun getting back into the kitchen. My poor family has been mostly devoid of homemade snacks for the last several months but for some reason cooler temps make the no-dishwasher detail a moot point where baking is concerned. For today, I'm surprising my Squirt after school with her all-time favorite snack.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

*modified from the Kitchen Aid recipe booklet

1/2 cup shortening or butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

dash cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 mashed bananas

1-2 tbsp. raw sugar (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Place shortening and sugar into mixer bowl. Beat until combined. Add eggs, scrape down sides of bowl and beat just until eggs are somewhat incorporated. 

Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add half of flour mixture and half of banana to mixer bowl. Mix for about 30 seconds, add the rest of the flour and banana, and mix another 30 seconds. Stop and scrape the bowl. Add chocolate chips and mix until distributed. 

Pour mixture into greased and floured loaf pan. If desired, sprinkle raw sugar over the surface of the bread. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until the top doesn't look "juicy" anymore. It will likely split down the center as it rises, if this looks wet the bread will be undercooked. 

*At high altitudes, this actually takes almost a full hour to bake. Trust your gut and if it looks gooey at all, let it bake a little longer.*