In Season: Bananas

If you are anything like me, your bananas always begin to turn brown before you can eat them. Well, I should be honest. I specifically let my bananas get brown before I actually eat them. No, I am not a big fan of mushy food, but I do like a mushy banana. As a banana sits on the counter, it get bruised; and if it sits there for long enough, the pock marks go from blemishes to soft, hideous, all-over brown markings.

While they may look flawed, they taste perfect. The bananas become more banana-y; the sugars concentrated, the flavor intense. Now they are good for so much more than eating out of hand. They may be tired—that’s what my mom always calls this maturation—but they are eager to do some baking.

Tired bananas are wonderful when pureed into pancake batter. They offer sweetness in a breakfast smoothie. And course, muffins are always a popular choice for a tired banana. But who can forget that standby—banana bread? I have tried many recipes for banana bread. Some lean more toward breakfast, and others more toward dessert. This recipe definitely falls under the dessert realm. With chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts, this bread has it all. And I won’t even tell anyone if you eat it for breakfast, too!

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom and the sides of a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

With the mixer on low speed, beat in the bananas and the vanilla until well incorporated. Gradually add in the flour mixture. By hand, mix in the chocolate chips, the coconut and the pecans.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool bread for 5 minutes in the pan before turning out to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.