I’m working my way through those dozen bananas in my freezer and this peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread may be my favorite recipe so far! It’s still pretty healthy – whole wheat, no refined sugar (except for the chocolate chips), and low-fat – but it’s a little more indulgent than the honey wheat banana bread I made a few weeks ago. Jordan wanted “real” banana bread ;). Of course, if you wanted to make it even healthier, you could reduce the amount of chocolate chips or even substitute cacoa nibs, but do you really want to mess with a good thing?? Maybe not, especially with only 200 calories per serving! Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combo and the bananas provide some natural sweetness and keep the bread very moist – almost fudgy if you eat it while the chocolate chips are still melty! =) It’s a delicious dessert or breakfast. The perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your diet. Enjoy!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup honey
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 oz (1/2 cup) Hershey’s special dark chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate, or mini chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. In large bowl, whisk together milk, honey, mashed bananas, peanut butter, and vanilla until combined.
3. In separate bowl, combine wheat bran, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes* or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Cool and remove from pan. Cut into 12 slices. Wrap leftover bread tightly in plastic wrap.
Notes: Bake time may vary slightly depending on your pan. I used a dark, non-stick loaf pan.
Nutritional info (per 1/12th): 198 calories; 6 g fat; 36.2 g carbohydrates; 6.3 g fiber; 4.9 g protein.
