let’s make something Naughty
Chocolate Brown Butter Banana Bread
make me
Ingredients
3 very ripe medium/large bananas (about 1½ cups mashed)
9 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp half n half
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, reserve some for topping
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
2. Brown the butter. Add the butter to a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5–8 minutes, stirring or swirling frequently, until the butter begins to foam and the milk solids turn golden brown. Once the butter smells nutty and fragrant, immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl, scraping in all the browned bits. Let cool for 10–15 minutes.
4. Mash the bananas. In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth, leaving a few small chunks for texture.
5. Combine the wet ingredients. Add the cooled brown butter, and granulated sugar to the mashed bananas. Whisk until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and half n half, mixing until smooth.
6. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using).
7. Make the batter. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a spatula. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
8. Toast the walnuts in the brown butter pan. Add the chopped walnuts to the brown butter pan on medium heat at toast for 3-4 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
8. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts to your batter. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and toasted walnuts until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
9. Transfer to the loaf pan. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
10. Bake. Bake for 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and no wet batter. If the top begins browning too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil.
11. Cool and serve. Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, if desired. Let cool before slicing.
This isn’t your average banana bread. Browning the butter adds a rich, nutty flavor that takes the classic recipe up a notch, while ripe bananas keep it perfectly moist. Fold in melty chocolate chips and toasted walnuts for a little crunch, and you’ve got a banana bread that’s golden on the outside, soft in the center, and packed with flavor.
dessert, fall, banana bread
