Bitsy’s Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

One of the most asked for recipes in the backyard is banana bread. Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking cookbook, I made some changes to recipe for the kids as they love chocolate. We make it with chocolate chips and it super yummy enough that the swim team and my daughter’s advisory asked for it weekly. I thought it would be fun to share as I am making it for our visiting friends from the UK. Hoping to get 5 stars from their rating as we were joking about making Bitsy’s Backyard into an Air B&B or maybe a joint summer camp with their mum.

First gather ingredients.

• 3 cups of flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 2 cups of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 squirts of vanilla ( I guess about a tablespoon)
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of chocolate chips (more or less – depends on how chocolatey the kids like it)
• 1/2 whole milk

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Time to mix and bake!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 greased loaf pans. I use glass ones and spray with Pam spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients of flour, baking soda and salt. I like to use a fork and mix them together. Next combine the eggs, sugar, and oil in a mixer until smooth (don’t over mix it). Then add the vanilla.
3. Add in the dry ingredients slowly to the mixer on low speed. Mix until smooth.
4. Mash up the bananas and then add them to the mixer. Mix again until smooth. I don’t worry if there are some lumps but depends on your eaters. I love a few little bites of banana.
5. Last two additions – add the chips with mixer on low and then the milk again mixer on low.
6. Once mixed together, pour 1/2 of the mixture into one pan and then into the other.
7. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for about an hour.
8. Most times, I find it needs a little longer so check with a knife that it comes out clean.

I’ve added some pics to help you through the recipe. It is easy and quite tasty.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Fun thing while I was baking this one was that I got to chat on the phone with a dear friend from NY when the kids were little. Relationships and taking each moment to enjoy our time in this journey are the best gifts that we have. Fun to catch up but also knowing that we travel through this world together with people that share unique connections with you makes each day better. We are never alone and there is nothing better than sharing life with others especially over a piece of Bitsy’s banana bread and a cup of hot tea. I recommend Yorkshire tea or Taylor’s from the UK.

Take time to bake some bread for your family and friends. Relationships are the best medicine in our life. Smile we are not alone even when we feel like we are.