Comfort Food: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Someone pointed out to me yesterday that the forecasted high for Boston on Monday is 12° Fahrenheit, and the forecasted high for Moscow, Russia on Monday is 13° Fahrenheit. Knowing that Boston will be colder than Moscow (even if only by a degree) gives me the irresistible urge to bake some comfort food. Having just baked a double chocolate layer cake for my friend Em's birthday, I do not want to bake something that is entirely made of chocolate. One of my go-to recipes is banana bread. I keep a stash of overripe bananas in the freezer specifically for this purpose (my college roommate Emily M. taught me this trick). You can either peel the bananas and put them in a gallon freezer ziplock or put them in the freezer, skins and all. To peel the frozen bananas, simply run them under hot water and the peels slip right off.

Instead of making my usual recipe, I am going to try adding chocolate chips, for a slightly sweeter and decidedly more decadent treat that will help Pablo and me forget about how cold it is outside.

I am going to adapt Molly Wizenberg's recipe for "Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger" from A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table.  

Today is not a crystallized ginger day, so I will save those tidbits for another time. Here is my ingredient list (I've increased the chocolate chips, eliminated crystallized ginger, added walnuts and an extra banana for good measure).

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter               
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour         
3/4 cup sugar                                          
3/4 teaspoon baking soda                        
1/2 teaspoon salt                                 
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 large eggs
2 cups mashed banana (from about 4 large ripe bananas)
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I'm using low-fat instead of whole)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Baking Instructions (also modified to suit my purposes):

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with butter.

Melt the butter over low heat and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt). Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and stir until combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl (or the bowl of your fabulous red Kitchen Aid mixer) lightly beat the eggs. Add the mashed banana, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla and stir to mix well. (This recipe really can be made entirely by hand, but it is more fun to use the Kitchen Aid).

Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. As with all banana breads, be sure that all of the ingredients are combined, but do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan and make sure it is evenly distributed.

Bake until the bread is a beautiful shade of golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (tester will likely be covered in melted chocolately goodness). The bread should bake for 50 minutes to an hour, depending on your oven. Molly Wizenberg adds that if the loaf is browning too quickly, you can tent the pan with aluminum foil.

Run a knife along the edges of the bread to separate it from the pan. Cool the loaf on a wire rack for 5 minutes, and then take the bread out of the pan and cool just until the chocolate won't burn your tongue on the first bite.

Pour a cup of tea, turn up the furnace, and enjoy.

*In a leap of faith, I'm writing this post before actually baking this recipe. Should anything go wrong, I will let you know. I anticipate that it will be delicious.