Fall always brings out the baker in me. Nothing compliments chilly weather more than a warm kitchen and the smell of baked goods greeting you at the door. I’ve always loved baking, it is something that I learned from my mother.
Banana bread has been a staple baked good from my mother’s kitchen. I couldn’t tell you the number of loaves she baked when I was growing up. She would send it in care packages for my brother while he was in the Army. I would also receive a loaf around finals in college. Something about a sweet, homemade treat could easily relieve the stress of a big paper.
In our home we go through spurts when it comes to groceries. One trip I’ll buy bananas and they disappear in an instant. The next trip I’ll buy bananas and they won’t even be touched. The bonus to the times no one eats the bananas: I now have an excuse to bake banana bread. I was excited to try something new, and thus Dark Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread entered our home.
I searched for a few different recipes but none of them seemed just right for the flavors I was looking for. I decided to use this Betty Crocker recipe with a few tweaks of my own. My main objective: make sure there was enough espresso to be obvious, but not overpowering.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 C mashed ripe banana (3 to 4)
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/4 C packed brown sugar
- 1/2 C butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/2 C flour
- 2 teaspoons * instant espresso powder (I used ground espresso beans)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 C dark chocolate chips *
My Modifications
I followed the base of the Betty Crocker recipe with a few minor changes (* noted above). I was doubling the recipe and was about 1/3 cup short of bananas. I had some unsweetened applesauce on hand, so I used that as a filler.
Espresso powder is not an easy ingredient to find around here. I bought ground espresso instead and doubled the amount called for. Lastly, rather than semi-sweet chocolate chips I went with dark chocolate to compliment the bold espresso flavor I was looking for. Neither the husband nor I are huge chocolate fans, so I cut this amount in half.
Notes for next time
The applesauce worked great to fill where I was short on mashed bananas. The bread has a great texture. When it first came out I was pretty disappointed in the “espresso” flavor, I couldn’t really taste it. The second day, however, the flavor began to come out.
Be patient with the cooling process. I was so anxious to get the loaves out of the pan that I tried to flip one way too early. As a result, half the loaf stayed in the pan. It wasn’t pretty, but the flavor was still good. Normally I love banana bread still warm out of the oven so the butter melts quickly. This is not the bread for that. It needs to cool completely before you cut it. Sad, I know. Make some coffee and read a book while you wait. It will be worth it!
I will probably make this again but without the chocolate. I am sort of boring when it comes to banana bread. I don’t like nuts or chocolate…pretty much no chunks! I am interested to see how the flavor of this stands on its own.
If you have some bananas to use up and looking for an easy way to mix up a traditional banana bread, this recipe was great. Be sure to let me know how you like it!
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