Gone Bananas!! :D

I love baking with bananas!

No really, I love it - things made with bananas are often more moist, naturally sweet, and offer texture to baked goods.  BUT - baking with bananas requires patience - you have to WAIT for your bananas to ripen before you bake with them.  They need a nice little brown color in order to mash and bake JUST right.  

Well, unfortunately for me, my husband likes EATING bananas as much if not more than I like baking with bananas!  Bananas don't last more than three or four days in my house (no matter how many I buy!) without being rapidly consumed.  Thus, I rarely get to bake with my bananas!

However, yesterday while at Ingles, I discovered the "Ripe Banana Bag"... I'm sure it's always been there, but it was a paper sack with over 10 bananas in it - already ripened to baking perfection - and for $1.49!!!

Luckily, I had a party to go to for inspiration, so I decided to make one of my favorite "back pocket" recipes - chocolate chip banana bread!

I use a banana bread recipe from allrecipes.com, but changed a few things based on past experience (increased the cooking temperature and length of baking, replaced butter with applesauce, and added chocolate chips for my own variation (because what's better than chocolate chip banana bread?).  What I love about this recipe is the secret ingredient - SOUR CREAM.  It really adds moisture and makes this the BEST banana bread ever!!  ENJOY!!  :D

(As you're looking at the ingredient list and thinking, "HOLY COW THAT'S A LOT OF SUGAR!" realize that it makes 4 loaves of bread...)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter (although last night, I used applesauce instead, and it worked well!!)

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

6 ripe bananas, smashed (fun job!)

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream (I used light sour cream to cut back on fat)

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white/half wheat flour)

1 bag mini chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk chocolate - whatever you prefer)

1.  Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease four loaf pans (I only own 1 loaf pan, so I made 1 loaf of bread and LOTS of muffins, and a heart-shaped cake pan for my hubby).

2.  In a small bowl, stir 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon - dust pans lightly with cinnamon sugar mixture.

3.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Divide into prepared pans.

4.  If baking in a loaf pan, bake for 1 hour 10 minutes (approximately) or until a toothpick comes out clean.  If using muffin tins or other small baking pans, you will have to adjust the baking time accordingly (I think my muffins took about 35 minutes or so.)

Now, an important tip - use MINI chocolate chips - regular sized chocolate chips are too heavy and will sink to the bottom of the batter, creating a chocolate candy crust rather than delicious chocolately goodness throughout.  :)

Happy Baking - GO BANANAS!!  :D