Banana Bread and Babies

Bananas. Chocolate. Cinnamon.

Banana Bread

Comforting thick slices.

Large mugs of steaming hot tea.

Those were my thoughts, in that exact order, when I came across a banana bread recipe. It has been years since I've had it but I do love banana bread. There's something wholesome and comforting about it. Take today for example. Its one of those unusually dreary days where I have no desire to leave the comfort of my couch. I have a hot cup of tea, a sappy romantic comedy, and some leftover banana bread which has turned out to be the perfect snack on this perfectly lazy day.

The leftover slices are from a loaf of banana bread I made for my sister-in-law. She just had the most adorable baby boy. I know every baby is supposedly adorable but this little guy is the most relaxed human being I've ever come across. I've poked, prodded, stroked, and cuddled him at least fifty times and he's not in the least bit bothered. He occasionally opens his eyes and peers at me curiously, then decides that I'm not all that interesting, and falls back to sleep.

During one of my poke-prod-cuddle sessions, the nurse came in with a tray of food for my sister-in-law. It actually looked decent for hospital food but anything thats served on a tray with plastic food covers can't help but look a little sad. I thought she might appreciate something homemade to munch on while she recovered. I came by the next day and all but a few slices were gone.

This is a great recipe. Its comforting. Its filling. Best of all (here's something I thought I would never be able to say), its delicious AND it contains no butter! There's no excuse to not try it.

Banana Bread with Cinnamon and Chocolate Recipe
From the Orangette food blog. (http://orangette.blogspot.com)

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas (the size doesn’t much matter; medium to large works)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For topping:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs, and stir well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix. Add ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.