Chocolate Banana Brunch Bread

This bread isn’t easily categorized. On one hand, it contains bananas and low-fat yogurt, so you might think it’s healthy enough to eat as a guilt-free breakfast. On the other hand, it’s full of chocolatey goodness and could easily pass for a dessert. So, my solution? Think of it as brunch bread -- a good way to start your day that feels like a special treat. It’s great with your morning coffee but is also quite enjoyable when paired with a mimosa or two.

Chocolate Banana Brunch Bread 
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup very ripe, mashed banana (2 large bananas worked for me)
½ cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
¾ cup light brown sugar
Cooking spray or butter, to grease loaf pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease one 9-by-5 loaf pan. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in large bowl and stir or whisk to blend. In another bowl, combine bananas, yogurt, vanilla extract, egg and brown sugar, stirring until blended. Add dry ingredients to the bowl with banana mixture, stirring until everything’s nice and gooey. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Adapted from A Couple Cooks, who adapted Smitten Kitchen’s recipe 

Wondering how to make banana bread even better?

I spotted an attractive slice of chocolate cherry banana bread at the cash register while indulging in a rainy day latte the other day. It haunted me for days and I decided to try and make my own. Banana bread is good enough on its own, but adding chocolate chips and dried cherries makes it absolutely marvelous.

Banana Cherry Chocolate Chip Bread
4 overly ripe bananas
2 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
½ cup vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup dried cherries, chopped
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter metal loaf pan (9-by-5-by-3-inch).
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt and stir or whisk to blend. In another bowl, combine bananas, milk, yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts and egg. Pour batter into bowl with dry ingredients and fold together until combined. Stir in cherries and chocolate chips.
Pour mixture into greased loaf pan and bake 70-80 minutes, until toasty brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely. Slice and enjoy.