Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Banana bread seems to be sort of a thing. Do you know what I mean? It seems like every self-respecting person, most particularly those who gravitate toward yoga, granola, and Lululemon, feel like there is nothing better than a great, hulking slice of banana bread.

 I think it's the fact that bananas feature in the title of this breakfast (or afternoon, or evening, or anytime really) snack that makes it so popular. That fruit quotient makes banana bread consumers feel just virtuous enough to justify an extra slice or two (shall we call them slivers?) down the gullet.

To be perfectly honest, I never really got it. I felt that anything that included cooked bananas was, well, revolting. Throughout high school, so many of my friends brought in their moms' "famous banana bread." I was so thankful anytime a tin of it made its way through the doorway at Ashley Hall because I wasn't even remotely tempted. A tray of oatmeal cookies? A plate full of coffee cake? Forget it. I was a gonner.

 But banana bread? I turned my nose up every time. I thought everyone was crazy. Until a week ago. After one of my friends broke her thumb and had to have surgery in Scotland- God forbid- my flatmate, Arden whipped up a batch of banana bread as a little pick-me-up. She sweetly wrapped up half of the bread, and, quite devilishly, left the other half on the counter for Caitlin, Cokie, and I to devour.

I circled around the bread. Paced back and forth in front of it, eyeing it. I don't like banana bread, do I? I'd pretty much run out of food at this point, and it did smell awfully good. How bad could it be? So, I inched a little closer. I pinched off a corner. And. Oh. My. God. It was a divine revelation. I'd been missing out for years. Banana bread is delicious!

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you? So, while I'm painfully behind the times, I'm sure you have your own recipe for banana bread. But let me implore you to try this one. Because it is really, really good. I mean, knock your socks off good. What have you got to lose?

  Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from Orangette
Makes 1 loaf

For the batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the topping:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, mash bananas well until only small chunks remain. Add eggs one at a time and whisk to combine. Whisk in vanilla extract.  Slowly stir in dry ingredients until just incorporated. Carefully fold in chocolate chips, but do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Stir together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle mixture over top of batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

  More Banana Recipes

Spiced Banana and Brown Sugar Ice Cream

Banana Layer Cake with Passionfruit Cream Cheese Icing

Banana Cream Cheesecakes

Vanilla Sablés

Oh my god. I actually think I have ADHD. I've been 'writing my essay' since about noon today, but I keep finding myself doing anything but. I've checked my horoscope on at least three different websites. I've taken a number of online quizzes- in case you were wondering my patronus would be a fox, I'm most like Charlotte York from Sex and the City, and I'm going to die October 31, 2013. Who knew, right? I've even made a few wildly entertaining (well I think they're funny, anyway) photos on Face in Hole.

 Basically, I'm procrastinating. As thrilling as Fabergé eggs are, I'm just not sure I can take another second of them tonight. I feel like I've watched every episode of every t.v. show ever made. I've sent some pretty artful snapchats. Ok, ok. You get it. I'm bored. 

Whenever I get bored or restless, I generally venture into the kitchen. I'll set my iTunes on shuffle, preheat the oven, and get going. Though I'm avoiding the things I really should be doing, at least I feel like I'm doing something productive when something tangible results from my dilly-dallying. So if any of you, like me, have caught a serious case of ennui, I leave you with this recipe for Vanilla Sablés. They'll keep you occupied, and they'll keep you full- a winning combination, if you ask me. I'm off to my own kitchen to make something tasty.

  Vanilla Sablés
Adapted from Serious Eats
Makes about 3 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter until light and fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until smooth and fully incorporated. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time until combined. Beat in vanilla extract. Divide dough in half. Place each half onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 30 minutes, until firm. Once firm, slice logs into 1/4-inch slices and place on baking sheets. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until firm to touch and just beginning to brown at edges. Let cool on a wire rack.

  More Sablés
Intensely Chocolate Sablés
Matcha Sablés
Citrus Sablés

Easy Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Scotland can be sort of a funny place. Men wear skirts (though they'll surely tell you that it's a kilt), they're adamant that there's still a sea monster living in Loch Ness (I'm looking at you, Nessie), and, as soon as the weather creeps above 40 degrees and the sun peeks through the clouds, everyone, and I mean everyone, is outside.

And they're not just out strolling the streets, walking on the beach, bundled, but happy. Sweaters come off, shorts come out, and suddenly, it's summer? I told you they were crazy. And the strangest part about this premature "summer" is their fascination with ice cream. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want on what I'd call chilly, they'd call balmy, day is a cold, icy scoop of mint chocolate chip.

But hey. The heart wants what the heart wants, right? So, in the spirit of assimilation, I have a delicious- and shockingly easy- recipe for you. This ice cream is for those of you who, like me, don't have an ice cream maker tucked away in your cupboards. If I were home, I could've given you a much more complicated, much fancier recipe, but this is something I could work with. It's a cheat's ice cream, if you will. And it's super tasty.

  Easy Lemon Curd Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

For the lemon curd:
2 whole eggs, and 2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

For the ice cream:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream

To make the lemon curd: In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Place over low heat and add butter, zest, and juice and whisk continuously until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain lemon curd through a sieve into a sterilized jar and set aside. Though you only need 1 cup lemon curd to make ice cream, it will keep for two weeks in the fridge.

To make the ice cream: Pour sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Carefully fold whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk. Put 1/4 of the cream mixture into a loaf pan. Dollop lemon curd on top and swirl into cream mixture with a knife. Repeat with cream mixture and lemon curd until you have used all of it. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Allow to sit out for 5-10 minutes before serving.

  More Ice Cream Recipes
Salted Caramel and Candied Bacon Ice Cream
Cereal Milk Ice Cream
Crumbled Cookie Ice Cream with Espresso Caramel