Chocolate Banana Gingerbread.
Quick breads are a dangerous treat in this house.
I’m pretty darn sure that most times the bread grows legs and runs off, just like my butter. I did go out and buy more butter, by the way. Though I’m fully anticipating on finding a pound of it in between my boxes of shoes or behind the bar with the wine. If that tells you anything.
So here’s the deal. I really am not gingerbread fan. At least not true, rich, spicy gingerbread. And it’s not because I don’t like ginger. After all, I married one.
But when it comes to plain ole’ gingerbread, we just don’t mesh. So I took it upon myself to add some of my other favorite flavors. Don’t let the chocolate and banana disgust you. It is divine.
Just check out the creamy, gingery batter:
Delectable enough to eat with a spoon. If you’re into eating raw eggs, sugar, butter and molasses, that is. But you know I’m a fan of this batter since I love golden, sparkly things. So pretty that my attention span was just zapped.
If I am being honest, I wasn’t completely sure how the flavor combination would turn out. Even if it was a fail, I’m sure I would eat it any way.
Luckily, it was a giant success. Don’t you love when that happens? I judge my successes by how much Mr. How Sweet closet-eats over the sink with a diet Coke in hand when he thinks I’m not looking. I’m always looking.
Complete with a mountain of chocolate chips, this bread was perfect for killing my gingerbread craving. It had just enough spice to warm me in the crisp, autumn weather, the slightest hint of banana flavor, and just a enough chocolate to… well, let’s be honest – there can never be enough chocolate. Ever.
Chocolate Banana Gingerbread
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup molasses
2 medium bananas, mashed
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices in a bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until pale yellow and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in molasses and mashed bananas. Add half of dry ingredients, just mixing until combined, then add buttermilk. Add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and pour batter in. Top with raw turbinado sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
And sure enough, there is barely one (thin) slice left on the counter. Stupid legs.
91 Comments on “Chocolate Banana Gingerbread.”
This looks great! Maybe I can bring this to my bf’s house for thanksgiving :)
Just when I thought that I had tried every variation of banana bread on the planet! Cooking Light recently published 4 recipes, and I tried them all. Looks like I’ll be back in the kitchen for this one. :)
Oh wow! Yum, this looks delicious. I love the part about the closet eating over the sink. I do that too – thinking my boyfriend doesn’t know it;)
Mmm, it looks divine. I am 100% sure I will make this (and eat it all myself) this weekend.
Beautiful! Seriously, that is breathtaking! Raw sugar on top always makes quickbreads so pretty. Have a great day Jessica! Hopefully it will be a good end to a stressful week.
OH EM GEE I DO love banana bread and want some of that now…I think I pay you to make me a basket of goodies that i can enjoy after my show…whadda think?!?!? :)
ohmygoodness, three of my favorite things! xo
I love how your recipe includes buttermilk AND bananas. This must be super moist. And chocolate. Obviously necessary.
It is!
I heart quick breads!!!!!!!!!!!
That last picture looks so amazing I want to jump through the screen and steal a piece.
I also love the way you judge your successes.
I love the combination of flavours in this bread. I’ll make it tonight!
Am twitching to try this. But what can I use instead of buttermilk? It is an unknown quantity out here in the desert! Although we do have Laban ( a kind of cultured/yoghurty milk) – would that do?
This looks amazing! Gingerbread is one of my favourite things about winter – actually, i hate winter with a passion but gingerbread makes it bearable!! Sounds great!
I think this combo of flavors looks great! I love gingerbread…I think mainly just because of the sugar sprinkles on top :-)
The combination of these flavors looks devine! I love any type of banana quick breads!
*that would be “divine”
I LOVE gingerbread. Totally going to try this ;)
yay! I needed a new banana recipe to use up some browning bananas this weekend!!
It looks so yummy. I’ll have to try it. Thanks for posting it :)
Oh goodness! Chocolate, ginger, banana!?! Amazing. And that sugar on top…it’s perfection!
The bread looks awesome! I’m def. going to be baking something like this tonight — with some subbed ingredients (I really need to go grocery shopping, heh). Yum!
I adore both banana bread and gingerbread but would have never thought to combine the two. This recipe is genius – I definitely see some being baked up in my near future :)
Making this. For sure :).
I could not be trusted around this bread. It seriously looks amazing!
I’m so sad…I can’t view any of the pictures. BOOO! :(
That’s OK, though. I can use my imagination and know they are delicious pics as usual! :)
Oh wait! I can see the pics now! Hooray!!!
BTW- I need to stop “judging”. As soon as I saw the pics of the bread, I thought the chocolate chips were raisins and immediately was like, “nah”…then I read the ingredients and saw it was CHOCOLATE and, well, that changes everything!
I’m not really a gingerbread fan, but have to say, it’s starting to grown on me a little, especially in coffee:)
Oh girl… I would never steer you wrong.
Ok-hilarious.Favorite lines of this post? “And it’s not because I don’t like ginger. After all, I married one.” hahahahha. This looks fantastic to me. Turbinado sprinkled on top makes ALL the difference. A great crunch. Fun flavors- I’m so intrigued to try it.
Glad you liked that. ;)
Never would have thought of this combo, but am LOVING it. I enjoy gingerbread, but find it difficult to make at home..I feel like I’m missing a secret ingredient..maybe it’s chocolate ;)
Quick breads are dangerous indeed… especially the batter! I’m lucky if I get a normal size loaf out of the whole deal. :)
i don’t think i’ve ever had real traditional gingerbread but this looks like a great version!
This looks awesome!
How sad is it that the most exciting part of this post for me was the fact that your husband eats over the sink? My boyfriend makes SUCH a mess when he eats, I’ve considered making him eat outside to avoid cleanup.
Hahaha! This made me laugh hysterically. Maybe I’m just in a weird mood.
This looks so pretty! I love the big sugar sprinkles on top– one of my favorite parts of ginger cookies, too! I’m actually a HUGE gingerbread fan, in cookie form. ;) So, I think this sounds like heaven!! Gingerbread + chocolate?? YUM.
I totally eat over the sink sometimes, too… I wonder if my husband is always watching?? Eek!
This looks simply delicious. I’m always looking for new things to bake for my mom when she visits :)
I love the chocolate chip overload in your gingerbread… there’s really no other way to go.
OMG, that looks amazing!! And I love ginger! I laughed when you said “I married a ginger! :D
Have a great weekend!
I love gingerbread. I’ve been dying to make it!
oh this looks so yummy! I stumbled upon your blog a few days ago and I have found so many things in your archives to bookmark … I love your style :)
Thank you!
I love the combination of so many flavors in this. I can’t wait to try it. One more thing on my holiday To Do list. :)
That looks and sounds fabulous!
Looooooveeee it!!!!! Don’t you hate it when people say ‘there’s too much chocolate in here’ I agree w/ you, can there really ever be TOO much chocolate? I’m pretty sure the answer will always be no.
Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever!
EVER!
What a unique and delicious combination!!
Blessings-
Amanda
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I love baking with turbinado sugar because it is so beautiful!!! This loaf is quite stunning and I bet it tasted delicious :)
Oh my gosh WOW! This looks fabulous!
mmm, i bet this smells wonderful! i could probably devour the entire loaf by myself!
I love the combination of flavours. Your cake looks like mine :) I just made the most wonderful loaf cake too but with apples and rhubarb. This looks like a keeper! Yumm!
Oh man, that wouldn’t last 10 minutes in my house :)
i’m not a big fan of the spicy gingerbread or ginger cookie. so I, like you, love to mix it up a few notches. and the banana went pretty good with the ginger eh? excellent.
Now why didn’t I think of this flavour combination?! Your bread looks and sounds TERRIFIC, i MUST try this one!!
Ok I know this has nothing to do with quick breads of any kind but… I think you need to be aware of this if you aren’t already :)
http://www.myjones.com/store/jones-bacon-soda-holiday-case.html
Ummmm. Amazing.
YUMMMM! I am going to have to try this too. I just love all your recipes!
I know what you mean, when your “treats” grow a pair of legs and suddenly disappear. :)
I’m not a huge fan of gingerbread either. But that looks super yummy!!