The most amazing "chocolate banana nut bread" recipe!

So, the most amazing "chocolate banana nut bread" it's on its way in my oven!! I first proved this delight when I just had Rebecca and people in here in the US are so nice that they bring you food (plus dessert) when you have a baby! So I got this banana bread from Lindsey, D's sweet co-worker! And I got hooked!!! I asked for the recipe and tried to replicate it in my kitchen a short time after!

But.... being me, I couldn't just follow the recipe on my first try... I had to insist on doing it with the ingrendients I had in my pantry, instead of buying the right ones.... So, many changes in the original recipe after, my banana bread was horrible! Just one more recipe failure to my collection! My fault, i already know that!

Anyways, after many other failures from different recipes including a cookie recipe from the same Lindsey, I've decided I should invite her over so she could teach me how to bake! And it worked!! She was here, she baked her banana bread recipe, and I've realized that I learned many dirt little secrets about baking!! At least about "chocolate banana nut bread" baking! =)

So finally, it was that time again calling me for a good chunk of sugar in my blood and I bought the right ingredients this time and I baked this recipe! Actually, the bread it's baking in the oven right now! I can't tell you if it's going to be as good as Lindsey's but I'm hopefull this time!! But the recipe it's so good that I thought about sharing it too!! If it turns out fine for you, you're gonna receive rave reviews, guarantee!!

Tomorrow I'm thinking on inviting a sweet old lady from my church who lives in the same apartments that we live, to prove it and to have some chat! Last time we talked she taught me so many things about her good late parents and shared some good funny stories too! Besides, she loves Rebecca and I've been trying to invite her over for quite a while now!!

Well, so here it is the original recipe! Follow each step as described! I will give you my tips along the recipe, in red!! I will also kept Lindsey's original considerations like "proving the raw dough" (it's really amazing!). One update: The bread i's ready now! I also baked four muffins with the extra dough and I proved it! It turned out really good! Here are the pics!

So here it goes:

Chocolate Banana Nut Bread

6 very ripe bananas (I’ve used as few as 3 before, depending on how many I had handy) but you'll follow the recipe and use the exact number! She also taught me that you can freeze the very ripe bananas and then take it off the freezer a couple hours before baking. But when using frozen bananas, remember to throw away all the liquid you can that will come out.
2 t vanilla extract
2 C firmly packed brown sugar really firmly packed! So it's actually a lot of sugar! Also, prefer dark brown sugar than light brown sugar!
1 ½ C vegetable oil
1 C sour cream (measure the oil before then the sour cream! It will help you removing the sour cream from your measure cup!)
4 large eggs
3 ½ C all-purpose flour (use a strainer so the flour it's not firmly packed)
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 C ground pecans (I prefer chopped walnuts) me too! but you can use any nut you like!!
2 C mini semisweet chocolate morsels (I prefer regular sized) me too! I also prefer milk chocolate!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Grease (with shortening!!! It turned out to be the best greaser!!!) two loaf pans. Recipe calls for 6x9, but I use what I have: 3x6. Whatever you use, just watch it to make sure it doesn’t overcook.

In a small bowl, coarsely mash bananas together with vanilla. Let them get the flavor! Don't mash it very well, just the minimal.

In a large bowl combine brown sugar, oil, sour cream, and eggs, stirring until just combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture, stirring until just combined! Use a spoon but don't over mix it! It's supposed to be lumpy!

Stir in banana mixture, nuts, and chocolate.

Pour into pans (~1 inch from the top) and bake on the center oven rack, uncovered, to create a slightly crunchy top. If the top starts to burn during cooking, cover the top with foil. Place a strip of foil on the bottom rack underneath the pans to help prevent the bread from sticking/burning to the bottom. (Very good tip this last one!)

The bread may cook in as little as 30 minutes, although the original recipe says 1 hour 15 minutes; the bread is done when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost completely clean. I like it when the bread is just slightly underdone (it's really good and better this way!), so the bread wants to fall apart in your hands and is approaching gooeyness.

Let cool in pans for 15 minutes. It’s best to remove it from the pan and let cool on a wire rack, but if it won’t come out or if you don’t have a wire rack, this is not the end of the world.

Makes enough for 2 bread pans plus a muffin or two. Be sure to try the raw dough…it's delightful…it’s OK, no one will know.

-

Lindsey