Chocolate Chip-Banana Bread

Holiday baking has started! I am a little late getting going this year but I finally started some Christmas baking today. I've always made Christmas cookies and started putting together gift baskets for daycare when Madeleine was born. With the addition of Christopher this year, I realized the number of daycare teachers doubled, so I best get busy.

I was at HyVee Drugstore (I liked when it was called Drugtown better) the other day and they were selling ripe bananas for 75 cents a bag. Perfect. Only needed a day or so before they were overripe and perfect for bread. Yes, I hate bananas with a passion but I've found that banana bread seems to be universally liked.

Only got through one recipe today (realized too late someone used quite a few eggs to make breakfast) but it is cooled and in the freezer. I've made this recipe from Fine Cooking quite often, sometimes subbing milk chocolate or cinnamon chips for the semi-sweet. I made a double batch, so I got 4 mini loaves and one regular sized loaf I'll bring into work tomorrow. I still have about 8 bananas left ... may have to make another double batch when I get some more eggs. Hate to waste food - even bananas!

Chocolate Chip-Banana Bread
Yield: 16 servings

1/2 cup unsalted butter -- softened
10 1/2 oz. all-purpose flour -- (2-1/3 cups)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour four mini loaf pans, one 12-cup Bundt pan, or one 9x5-inch metal loaf pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients well to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium mixing bowl, mix the butter on low speed with the stand mixer's paddle attachment or on medium-low speed with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and continue mixing on low speed until slightly fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth between each addition. Add the bananas, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix until blended.

Stop the mixer and add half the flour mixture. Mix on low speed (for either mixer) until the flour drifts are almost gone. Add half the buttermilk. Mix until blended, and then repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk. Continue mixing until smooth, scraping the bowl to make sure the batter is even. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

If using mini loaf pans, divide the batter evenly among the four pans (the pans should be about two-thirds full). If using a Bundt or full-size loaf pan, spread the batter in the pan (again, filling the pan no more than two-thirds full.) Smooth the top of the batter. Bake until the loaves are golden and a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes for mini loaves (60 minutes for a Bundt pan and 60 to 70 minutes for a full-size loaf pan).

Let the loaves cool in the pans on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes to give them time to set and then turn them out onto a rack and flip right side up to cool completely.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 222 Calories; 9g Fat (33.9% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 56mg Cholesterol; 166mg Sodium.