I love banana bread. I have loved it since I was young, though I do have to admit that we used to make it out of a box. How dare we!
I even think my grandmother made hers out of a box? How dare she! I will have to double check.
I stumbled upon this banana bread recipe one evening when I was craving banana bread, but – oh gosh, it’s true – RAN OUT OF SUGAR. So my first thought, you know, was to run to the store IMMEDIATELY since I come from the internet generation and expect everything NOW. (My dad likes to remind me of this. Alot.) Then, on second thought, also probably due to being a part of the internet generation, I decided I was too lazy.
So I hurrily searched for a recipe using only brown sugar. Which I have boatloads of. Because I love it. And it’s brown, so it’s healthy right? Kind of like ‘brown’ flour – aka wheat?
Or not.
Anyway, I found this recipe from the excellent chefs of Chez us posted on Tasty Kitchen. Have any of you ever been? Well if not, leave here immediately. Go directly to that site. I will expect you back in 8 days, since that is how long I spent perusing the entire thing.
This site was created by Ree, ThePioneerWoman, who is INCREDIBLE. I will say it again, she is INCREDIBLE. Love her. Love her site. Check it out now. Drool over her handsome recipes and yummy husband. I mean yummy recipes and handsome husband. Same thing.
Back to this banana bread. This is by far the most moist (say that 5 times fast) banana bread I have ever had. It is decadent. The batter is so fluffy and instantly appears different than most breads – I noticed this right away and took it as an excellent sign. Probably because I ate a good 3/4 cup of batter.
Oops.
The decadence has to come from 2 of my most favorite ingredients in baking: sour cream and cream cheese. Love them.
I have one confession – albeit a HEALTHY one. I used whole wheat flour when making this. It was delicious.
BUT.
Not as delicious as the time I used white flour.
Either way you make it, it is superb. Give it a shot!
I bring out the love of my life:
I love all things PINK.
2 ripe bananas + 1 not-so-ripe banana. The recipe only calls for 2, but we all know I don’t like follow directions.
Mash ‘em up good. I prefer to use a fork. I may have also had a bite. Maybe.
These are my friends. They don’t judge me.
Mid-mix. Can you see the fluffy deliciousness? The mashed banana chunks? The consistency is incredible. If you make, you will understand.
I added in some chocolate chips. MILK chocolate chips. I love milk chocolate. Not huge fan of dark chocolate. It is kind of like veggies to me. I eat it because it is better for you.
Of course, there wasn’t enough chocolate for me. So I needed to add some more.
Ok. Moment of truth.
Do many of you butter and flour your cake pans anymore?
I don’t. My grandmother would be disgraced.
I am a disgrace.
I cheat.
Please note the cookie jar in the background. It is empty. Still.
Pre-bake:
I just wish you could FEEL the consistency.
Post-bake:
I know it is blurry. I am working on that. Or trying. Or begging.
Give it a go & let me know what you think. 
The Best Banana Bread. Ever.
1/2 cup butter
3oz cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
2 ripe bananas
1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups flour (I subbed whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat over to 350. Grease a loaf pan.
Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in mashed banana, sour cream, and egg and mix ’til smoothe. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake for 60-75 minutes. Devour.
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Love the kitchenaid mixer! It’s on my Most Wanted list.
I’ll have to try this banana bread recipe — I’m always on the lookout for new ones!
haha so funny about the brown sugar being “healthy” b/c it’s brown… i always thought that brown eggs were healthier when i was younger!
this banana bread looks fantastic!
ummmm can you come over and make me some of that??
sounds increddddible, thats being printed and being made asap! : )
This is by far the best banana bread I’ve ever made!!! I just discovered the recipe last week and I’ve already made it 3 times
So yummy!
Thanks for the shout-out on your site. It is a great bread, isn’t it? I pretty much call it dessert … moist, banananny and chocolate! I did try another one this summer, that may have it beat; have to make it at home to really see!
Oh my goodness!! Just made this.. SOOO good.. wow. this is def the best banana bread. probably not the healthiest. but hey who cares.. haha lol mm. the cho. chips make it oh so delicious!! yumm.. I LOVE banana bread.. great way to use up ripe bananas!
I really enjoy this blog. Wewish I could come here all the time.
I’m jealous. I decided to make banana bread and (after I had already put mine in the oven) I thought I might check to see if you had a recipe for some. Yours sounds way better! I’ll definitely try it next time.
I came across this in a recipe, and it adds another yummy dimension to banana bread and muffins. It’s also great, because you don’t have to wait for the bananas to get really ripe and Halloween scary looking. I just use ones that are no longer green. (Like the third banana you have placed on top in your picture above.)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Take however many bananas the recipe calls for and place them, unpeeled, on a baking sheet covered with tinfoil. Roast for 15-20 minutes until the bananas are nice and browned/blackened. Remove from oven and place pan on cooling rack until cool enough to handle.
P.S. I don’t spray or grease the foil, but I do use tongs to lift the bananas off the foil right when I take them out of the oven. I place them back down again in the same spot, and they’ve never stuck yet.
I just want to say that while this is one of your early and perhaps less glamorous recipes, it is absolutely A-FREAKING-MAZING. I can’t stop making different variations: with white flour, with whole wheat pastry flour, with and without the third banana, with chocolate chips, with cinnamon chips, with nuts…you get the picture. I’m developing a minor banana bread problem and I blame you. Thanks so much for sharing!
THE best ever Banana Bread = I could NOT agree more
It is my 3rd time baking it, because me, my boy and the rest of the crowd just can’t get enough!!! Thanks a lot for sharing, Jess! Do you still bake it occasionally yourself? (Might be a stupid question, ha ha). I find the taste awesome with the “little too healthy” whole grain flour, but then an extra cup of choc chips can make up for that sin 
I add an extra banana to finish off the moisture, too, mmmm!!!!
Best, Maria from Denmark
I had bananas leftover from last week and decided to make this, I added blueberries, and used greek yogurt instead of sour cream just because I had them and this is the best version I have made to date. it’s the best healthy guilty pleasure dessert ever!!!
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