Bonkers for Bananas: Banana Chocolate Bread

I am going through this weird weather thing.  Since I have already spent my days under the sun and applied tons of sunscreen and have tans lines crisscrossing my back, I feel like Summer has come and gone.  So when the rain is pouring down outside (as it has been these past few days, at least here in California) I feel like it is Fall.  I drive down the freeway thinking about mashed potatoes and turkey, scarves and umbrellas.  But then I have to stop myself, because it is not Fall.  It is Spring. 

Or it is supposed to be, anyway.

It sure does feel like Fall though.

Which makes my search for super banana recipes very necessary at this moment.  I love Spring!  If the weather isn't going to help me out, then I need something to bring Spring into my life.  And bananas, although I eat them all year around, seem Spring-ish to me.  I think it is the bright yellow... maybe.  I don't really know, but I like them, they remind me of Spring, and that is all that really matters.

Really, though, the rain is alright.  I mean, rainy day recesses are downright awful for elementary teachers(imagine all those little bodies, trapped inside, bouncing off the walls... and the poor teacher who has to maintain her sanity during that time), but at the same time, rainy days after school hours are quite nice.  Kind of peaceful.  Perfect baking weather.  Especially when these are your ingredients:

 
Bananas?  Yum.  Chocolate?  Yum.  Together?  Double yum.  The bread, since it has chocolate AND sour cream in it, comes out nice and moist, almost like a fudgy cake.  Not your typical banana bread, but who is complaining about that?  Not me.  I like banana bread and I like fudgy cake, so this is the best of both worlds.  Perfect for a rainy day.  Or a sunny day.  Or any day, really!

Recipe from Everyday Food, March 2012

• Prep Time 15 minutes
• Total Time 1 1/4 hours
• Yield Serves 10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas (3 to 4)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture and chocolate on medium. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
3. Let bread cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Cook's Note

Store tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 3 days, or freeze, up to 3 months.

Chopped or Chips?
For this loaf, we like the variety of sizes we get from chopping. Tiny bits of chocolate flavor the bread beautifully, while larger ones provide big hits of deliciousness.

Kitchen Tip
If your bananas aren't quite ripe enough, put them in a 300-degree oven, unpeeled, for 15 minutes to soften.

Cost: $5.92                   Cost Per Serving (10) $0.59