Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread (Printable Version)

Decadent banana bread swirled with peanut butter and chocolate chips for a moist, irresistible treat any time of day.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
06 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1/3 cup neutral oil
08 - 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, plus extra for swirling
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Mix-ins

11 - 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, sugar, oil, peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy.
04 - Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir gently until just combined; do not overmix.
05 - Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
06 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Dollop extra peanut butter on top and swirl gently with a knife to create marble pattern.
07 - Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
08 - Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The texture is incredibly moist and dense without being heavy, like the kind of banana bread that makes you pause after the first bite
  • The chocolate peanut butter swirl creates these gorgeous marbled pockets throughout the loaf that everyone fights over
  • It works just as well for breakfast as it does for dessert, which is basically the dream scenario
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter will make your bread tough and rubbery instead of tender, so stop as soon as the flour disappears
  • The bread is done when a toothpick has moist crumbs but not wet batter, and if it bounces back slightly when you press the center
  • Cooling completely before slicing is torture but it gives the structure time to set so you get clean slices instead of a crumbly mess
03 -
  • Use bananas with lots of brown spots because they have developed more natural sugars and will give you a more flavorful, moist bread
  • The swirling step is purely aesthetic but also ensures pockets of concentrated peanut butter throughout, so take your time with it

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