Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

One of my best friends gave me a delicious banana bread recipe, printed on a piece of paper with a few patches of butter stains soiled clear through. To me, this was a clear indication the recipe desperately needed a makeover! The end result? A leaner, moister banana bread with a fabulous brown sugar crunchy top! 

Yield: 1 loaf

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 5 ripe bananas
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (reduced from 1cup)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (originally 1/2 cup butter, melted)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup instant coffee (optional)

bananas - before & after

Preheat oven at 350 °C.  Lightly grease bottom of 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Mix dry ingredients (from whole wheat flour to cinnamon) in a large bowl and set aside.

Peel bananas. Break off into smaller chunks and place in blender. Pulse til liquified.

In separate bowl, beat brown sugar and eggs with electric beater until creamy. Mix applesauce in with rubber spatula. 
Add dry ingredients and mix with spatula. Add bananas and stir til everything is combined. Stir in chocolate chips (and walnuts and instant coffee if using).

batter

Pour into greased pan. Crumble as much brown sugar as you like for crunchy top and lightly pat into batter.

Bake 60-65min or until wooden pick inserted into loaf comes out clean/dry. Remove from pan and let cool. 

brown sugar crumble top on batter