Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

What to do when 3/4 of the bananas I purchased last week are already past their prime? Well..... banana bread of course! Since I was in a rush the other day, my man, Benny, made some in the mini loaf pan.  We prefer to cook them in there because they seem to brown better. Also I always say I should take a loaf to a neighbor or something and that seems like a good size. That usually never happens though because we eat it so fast...... :) In fact, we ate this last batch so fast that I didn't even have a chance to take a picture of it! Also b/c half of the buttons on my ghetto camera just stopped working so now I really can't get a decent picture....Time for a new camera? I think so.

Of course, what's even better than banana bread? Well, that would be chocolate chip banana bread, of course! That's maybe the "not so healthy" variation, but it tastes so good! For an inexpensive but delicious addition, throw in some Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips. They are probably the better of the "low-end" brands that I have used. Another cool variation Ben made this time was to sprinkle toasted coconut on top of some of the loaves before baking. Both highly recommended!

This recipe is a mix between a recipe we found on epicurious.com and a recipe from my mom with some alterations from us. Hope you enjoy!

C&L's Banana Bread

1/4 cup butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar/brown sugar (we like brown, or you can do a comb. of the two)
2 eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas (or semi-overripe), mashed very well
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups bread flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
chocolate chips - as many as you want!
toasted coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Creme butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Add mashed bananas and sour cream. Add all remaining dry ingredients. Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, about 60 minutes. For 4-mini loaves, bake 45 minutes. 

Notes: I'm pretty sure the reason I like this recipe the best is the bread comes out really moist. I credit that to the sour cream which does wonders in baking in general! Also, one other tip is to mash the bananas up really well for a consistent texture. I will never forget my dear roommate (who shall not be named) in college who made banana bread once (or twice). I don't remember much about it except that it seemed like I could've thrown it at a wall and it would have bounced right back to me. Mash those bananas or weird things may happen!