Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I love banana bread. I love chocolate banana bread. Then I found this recipe for chocolate PEANUT BUTTER banana bread and I was in heaven! Three things that simply belong together! In this recipe, I wanted to add chocolate chips for the extra bit of chocolate in every other bite, but alas, I had no chocolate chips. I had about half a bag of butterscotch chips and well, that was the direction I went and they worked! Enjoy this with a dark cup of coffee or black tea. It’s delicious!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• ⅓ cup peanut butter, slightly melted
• ¾ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 - 1 C. chocolate or butterscotch chips (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the slightly melted peanut butter, sugar, mashed bananas, vegetable oil, and eggs. After mixing, stir in cocoa, baking powder & soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir in flour last. If using chips, stir in just until incorporated.
3. Pour into loaf pan and bake for roughly 55 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

Banana Applesauce Raisin Muffins

Thank goodness for great neighbors! Having an excess of quickly ripening bananas, our neighbors blessed us with two grocery sacks full of bananas. So, I made the following muffins, then froze the rest. Half whole, and the other half sliced up for smoothies. Next on the agenda is to make a Banana Bread for Nursing Moms recipe that I found online. Of course, I love to alter recipes, so we'll see what I can tweak to make it better. Then, I'll let you be the judge. Well, enjoy these great-tasting healthy muffins with banana, applesauce and raisins. Freeze well for a quick breakfast or snack!

Makes 30 muffins

Time:

40 min

15 min prep

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oat
1/2 cup oat bran
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup olive oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease or line muffin tins with paper liners.
3. Combine flours, bran, oats, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Using whisk or spoon, stir until well mixed.
5. Combine remaining ingredients (except nuts) in a large mixing bowl; beat until smooth.
6. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
7. Beat just until combined.
8. Spoon into prepared pans or tins (fill cups until just about full).
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
10. Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack as soon as they come out of the oven.