I'm sorry to put up two banana posts in a row, but the bananas I used for the monkey bread went a long way (..that and the fact that I never get sick of baking with bananas). I thought this chocolate banana bread was great. I always get my hopes up with chocolate banana bread because I just feel like it has such promise. It's the same as when I add chocolate chips to banana bread recipes -- how could it be anything but amazing? Alas, all banana bread recipes are not created equal. I've had many letdowns, but this one is far from a disappointment.

The oil makes it incredibly moist, and the chocolate flavor is rich, but not over the top. It also stayed good for multiple days which is always a plus in my book. Something about eating chocolate for breakfast starts my day off right. Maybe it just kicks my usual 11am chocolate craving before it happens? Regardless, this bread is the best chocolate banana bread I've ever made. I don't know which recipe is better to use up those old bananas considering I'm pretty smitten with both of my recent banana posts. I guess you'll just have to buy more bananas. It's healthy, right?

Chocolate Banana Bread        Serves 8-12
Recipe from Evil Shinanigans

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup very strong coffee, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Heat the oven to 350 F and prepare 1 10-inch loaf pan (or 6 mini-loaf pans) with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl cream together the sugar and oil until smooth.  The mixture will be slightly crumbly.  Add in the eggs and egg yolk and mix until lighter in color, about three minutes.


Add the mashed banana and stir to combine.  Sift the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into the bowl and mix until most of the dry ingredients are moist.  Stir in the coffee and vanilla and mix until all the dry ingredients are moist.  The batter will have some small lumps.


Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes for a single loaf, 35 to 45 for smaller loafs, or until the center springs back when gently pressed.   Cool for thirty minutes in the pan before turning out on a rack to cool completely.

These pictures aren't great, but you'll have to trust me about this bread!

I'm not sure which bothers me more--posting things that didn't turn out quite right or taking a two week break from blogging altogether because I refuse to take pictures of anything I didn't love. Pretty much any time I disappear from the blogosphere you can bet that I'm struggling with this dilemma. Thankfully today I have a recipe that was much easier than any of my unpostable (made up word) mistakes over the past few weeks, and it's delicious!

With exams right around the corner, my diet will almost certainly be composed of Coke Zero, pizza bread and sweets (why can't I eat like a normal girl?). This banana monkey bread works for breakfast, but I can also see it fitting into many other categories. Dress it up and it's dessert. It definitely works as a late night snack, and it would be a lovely addition to any brunch. This is one of those recipes you want to have around because it's just that easy. Thank you for being patient with my busy self as junior year winds down. More posts to come!

Banana Monkey Bread
Makes 4 ramekins
Recipe from Pinch of Yum

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (4)
Bananas (2-3)
White chocolate chips
Cinnamon and sugar

Directions

1. Cut biscuits into 1-inch cubes.  Slice bananas.  Combine and coat with cinnamon and sugar.
2. Arrange in greased ramekins and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
3. Melt white chocolate; spoon over tops

*I used five biscuits because that's what came in the container (and why would I want one extra plain biscuit when I could have it covered in cinnamon sugar instead?). The bananas I had around were on the large side, so I only used two. For the white chocolate I just melted a cube of white melting chocolate, but I'd say melt about 1/4 cup if you are using chips. Lastly, I used about 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar.

Also, my ramekins are a bit thicker than some others, so I needed about 3-4 more minutes of cooking. I also realized that filling them up quite as high as I did is just a mess waiting to happen, and since none of you probably want to clean cinnamon sugar from the bottom of your oven I'd suggest putting the ramekins on a pan before baking.

Only I would decide to take pictures the same day as tornadoes are going through NC. Sorry for the dreary backdrop!