Do bananas ripen much quicker in a kitchen that is approximately 7 degrees too warm? Or do they ripen much quicker in Denver than in Minneapolis? Or are we just buying bananas that are already too close to ripening?
I guess it doesn’t matter. A stockpile of ripe bananas = An abundance of banana bread.
It’s actually a pretty good situation to be in and neither of us were complaining about eating this brown butter chocolate chip banana bread.
Last week I came home from a particularly promising interview and didn’t want the good vibes to go to waste, so I dug into the ripe banana stockpile and whipped up some banana bread <— good decisions.
And decided to use brown butter and chocolate chips <— the best decisions.
I turned on some tunes, browned butter, mashed bananas, mixed the wet with the dry, threw in a handful of chocolate chips, and just kept the good vibes going. Soon the delicious aroma of banana bread was filling the house.
This is the beauty of banana bread. It is so easy to make and smells like a dream.
Plus, can we just all agree that fresh banana bread is one of the greatest things to eat ever?
I ate some, saved some for Katie, and brought the rest into Blackbird for my co-workers. That’s how I make friends… along with my charmingly awkward personality.
60% of the time it works every time.
If you don’t have a stockpile of ripe bananas in your freezer, start building! Then bake this up, make some friends, and spread the good vibes.
PS – Basic Banana Bread, Chocolate Chip Raspberry Banana Bread, Brown Butter Bourbon Blondies, and Brown Butter Pumpkin Bars
- 9 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Continue to whisk until brown specks appear at the bottom, it will froth and foam a bit. Watch closely and be careful not to burn. It should be a light brown color and have a nutty aroma. Pour butter into a medium bowl, whisk in an ice cube, and let cool for a few minutes.
- Add the mashed bananas, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add the flour and baking soda and stir a few times until just combined. Lumps are ok!
- Fold in the chocolate chips, saving some for the top of the loaf.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack.
- Slice and serve the bread warm with your favorite spread. It will keep well for a few days wrapped in plastic wrap or in the freezer for a few months.
If you are baking this in altitude, make the following adjustments: add an additional tablespoon of milk and flour and take just a little bit out of the teaspoon of baking soda and ½ cup of brown sugar. Also, increase the oven temperature to 365 degrees and reduce baking time to 45-50 minutes.
I said good vibes a lot in this post. No, I’m not high, but maybe it is the altitude?
