RECIPES INCLUDED: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I love making banana breads. They are versatile, can be made healthier at no expense to the flavor or texture, freeze well, and are moist & delicious!

Since I make banana breads so often, I decided to start experimenting more with varieties. On the left below is a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, and on the right is a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!

Both are whole wheat, contain no butter or oil, and are reduced sugar (note: reduced sugar = less sugar than the original recipe. However, they are by no means low in sugar!)

I made two mini loaves and one big loaf of each kind. Some of them I gave to people as gifts, like this one:

I cut the big ones each in half. I brought one half of each to work, and kept the other half of each for me and my roommates! Below, the left loaf is the peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread, and the right is the pumpkin chocolate chip banana bread.

The gooey middle is my favorite part...

I am so pleased with how they came out! Moist, tasty, flavorful, chocolatey!

And now, for the recipes! I have never put up recipes before; however, I've gotten many requests to do so. After some thinking, I decided I'm going to start posting them! Just promise you'll still come to my bakery when I open it!! ;)

Here they are!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 T baking powder (I know, it seems like a lot. You're reading right though-- Tablespoon)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup ripe banana, mashed (about 2)

2 eggs (slightly beaten)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

6-10oz chocolate chips (I use mini ones!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate large bowl, combine the applesauce, sugars, peanut butter, and banana. Stir until combined. Beat in eggs. Pour in milk and vanilla. Then, add the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until cooked through (the center should spring back when pressed lightly with your finger). Cool in loaf pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 15oz can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup mashed banana (about 2)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs (slightly beaten)

6-10oz chocolate chips (I use minis!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugars, banana, and vanilla. Add eggs and stir until well combined. Then, add the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until cooked through (the center should spring back when pressed lightly with your finger). Cool in loaf pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

Enjoy!!

Banana Bundt Breakfast Bread!

Happy Weekend!

We had a lovely potluck senior brunch this morning! I brought this!

It's my usual whole wheat, fat free banana bread recipe, but I wanted to make it look a little more special! Hence, Banana Bundt Bread, dusted with powdered sugar! I suppose you could call it cake...I brought along some honey cinnamon cream cheese frosting to go with it too :)

Yum yum....

Pretty with my roommate's flowers in the pic!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Spice Cake! YUM

This is DELICIOUS! A wonderful, moist, flavorful spice cake. And full of zucchini! Perfect as a breakfast bread, snack, or even dessert!

formal breakfast...

I made these breads for post-formal breakfast. But I tried to healthify them a little bit, so all of them are fat free and whole wheat (but then I added chocolate chips to the banana bread and one of the pumpkin breads, so those aren't technically fat free anymore, but still better for ya!) So we have pumpkin bread, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and chocolate chip banana bread. However, I didn't think to take pictures until after I pulled them out for people, so the pictures are a testament that they were tasty :) haha nom.

Chocolate chip banana bread

Chocolate chip pumpkin bread

Regular pumpkin bread (naturally people preferred the chocolate chip haha)

Healthier Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I've made my traditional banana bread recipe many, many times, and usually keep it pretty much the same. However, I decided it's time to try to make some of my baking a little healthier. So, rather than make the chocolate chip banana bread I usually make, I made a few modifications: Whole wheat flour instead off all-purpose flour, and extra banana & a little applesauce to replace the butter (this might sound weird if you've never heard of it, but in baking applesauce is a common health substitute for butter). Now, to really make it "healthy," the chocolate chips should probably be omitted, but I'm all about balance, and of course, all about chocolate. It tasted DELICIOUS-- even more moist than the original, and wonderful texture. I think I will make it this way from now on! perfect.