This Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread recipe (originally from Cooking Light) has always been one of my favorite banana bread recipes. Although it seems indulgent with the addition of chocolate, there really is a very small amount of chocolate swirled in. But the addition is a nice treat. Melted chocolate chips are mixed in with a little bit of the banana bread batter to create the chocolate batter. Then the chocolate batter and banana batter are spooned into the loaf pan randomly, and a knife run through the batters swirls them together. This recipe makes one loaf. I often double the recipe to make two loaves since my family eats it up so quickly!
How brown should bananas be for banana bread?
If your bananas are soft and pale brown or darker inside too, then they’re overripe and no longer good for eating on their own. As bananas ripen, the starch in the flesh is converted into sugar. At this point, your overripe bananas are perfect for baking, banana bread, or smoothies. Once bananas turn black, they should be tossed in the garbage.
How long will banana bread keep?
If you plan to eat your banana bread within a couple of days of making it, then it’s perfectly okay to keep it on the counter at room temperature. If you want your banana bread to last longer than a couple of days, store it well-wrapped in the refrigerator. In the fridge, it will keep fairly fresh for about a week.
How to freeze banana bread:
Banana bread freezes (and defrosts) rather nicely. Wrap it well before freezing. I like to wrap a cooled loaf in plastic wrap, and then I wrap it again with foil. You can write on the foil with a permanent marker indicating what it is and the date it was frozen. Frozen banana bread keeps well for two to three months. When I bake banana bread, I always double the recipe so I can eat one and freeze one for later. It’s also nice to have frozen banana bread on hand in case you need a quick gift to give to a friend (or if people stop by unexpectedly).
Here are a few more recipes you can try that use up ripe bananas:
Whole Grain Banana Muffins Banana Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping Nutella Stuffed Banana Cookies Banana Brownies Classic Banana Bundt Cake Chocolate Chip Banana Bars Banana Cake Organic Banana Zucchini Bread
