Banana Chocolate Chip recipe....

Today my very best friend and her husband signed some papers, and got their very first house. Yes, they had already purchased a condo, but this is a house. Its a big deal. So, my little family and I (and my "little" Jen) went over there to celebrate. On top of some celebratory drinks, I wanted to bring something over that we could eat. I didn't have much time, so i knew exactly what it was that I was going to make.

Banana bread!

I have this foolproof recipe which was adapted from Aunt Holly's Banana Bread on Epicurious which i stumbled upon just over a year ago. I added some vanilla and changed up the sugar some, but it's pretty much the same deal. But here's the kicker, the entire recipe only needs ONE BOWL. For those of you who bake out there, you must understand why this is amazing. For those of you who don't bake, this should make you want to. 

The beauty of one bowl is that you really just have to throw everything in there - and in no special order really, just make sure you mash the bananas in the bowl first. 

I've even doubled this recipe before and the batter stirs easily, that even my daughter is able to help out. an she is definitely on her way to being a mini-baker...

Ater that all you really need to do is pour it into a baking pan of your choice. Sometimes I bake muffins or mini muffins, sometimes it's a loaf. This time I decided to give a go at two round cakes. I had to improvise on the baking time because it was the first time I've ever attempted these pans.

13 minutes in i dipped a toothpick in and they were still too wet. at the 20 minute mark i took one out and tested it and - VOILA! - perfect banana bread.

Just golden enough to not be over cooked, and super soft and incredibly moist - even without any added juices. My best friend's husband ate a good portion of the bread - he seemed to enjoy it. Hopefully I can convince her to give this recipe a try - she now has the most perfect kitchen for baking - an island AND the oven in the wall... Seriously, I'm going to start baking from her place...

For those of you who want to give this recipe a go, here is the updated version as per my fiddling:

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

3 to 4 bananas - some say ripe, but i've used fresh ones and the results are fairly similar if you let the mashed bananas sit on the counter for a bit before using them

1/4 cup melted butter - so I lied - you need a small bowl for this

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar (or omit this and use 1 whole cup brown - its up to you)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

chocolate chips as you see fit - I really do get a little excessive with these

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas in the bowl, and then toss in everything else and mix until completely incorporated. Poor batter into pan which has been buttered. Put in oven and bake accordingly.

Loaf pan - 55 to 60 minutes

Muffins tins - 15 to 20 minutes

Round cake pans - 18 to 20 minutes

Mini muffin tins - 9 to 12 minutes

Of course baking time varies on ovens, types of pans used and how the stars align for your baking capabilities :) If any of you try this recipe, let me know how to it goes and send me pictures of your creations!