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Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is the bread that bananas sitting in the grocery store are begging you to turn them into. Everyone in the house will love you... or it? It's better to not think about which they'll love more.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cool Down Time (please try to follow this) 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 2 Greedy Teenagers

Equipment

  • 1 Mixing Bowl it's all you need
  • 1-2 Loaf Pans depending on size

Ingredients

The Bread

  • 4-6 each Bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S
  • 1/3 cup Butter melted
  • 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 each Egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tbls Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1.5 cups Flour all-purpose
  • 3/4 cup Chocolate Chip dark, always only dark

The Swirl

  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 1 tbls Cinnamon yes, more

The Streusel

  • 2/3 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Turbinado Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Flour all-purpose
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon MOOOORE
  • 4 tbls Butter cold, cubed

Instructions

  • Turn on your oven to 350 degrees and either put some parchment in loaf pans, or butter and flour them. (just pick one, no one likes an over-achiever)

Streusel Time

  • Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
  • Cube the cold butter into it, then use a fork or pastry cutter until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs (see pictures below)
  • Set aside and DON'T EAT IT, ya oinker.
  • I'm just kidding, you can eat it if you want to, Paula Deen. Don't ever let anyone tell you what to do.

Swirly Goodness

  • In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside. Don't eat it.
  • Or... You can just dip your streusel into it. Do it, you coward.

Makin' Bread

  • Find your favorite glass bowl you like to mix things in and melt your butter in there.
  • Add the bananas and mash them up with a fork or whatever you feel comfortable using. (see my YouTube video where I used a metal potato masher because I personify chaotic good)
  • Add everything except the flour and chocolate chips - Brown Sugar, Egg, Vanilla, Baking Soda, and Salt - All in the bowl.
  • Mix it all up and get it all incorporated.
  • Add the flour and chocolate chips. Fold and mix slowly till JUST incorporated. If you see a streak or two of flour, it's ok. Just mix huge pockets.
  • Depending on how many pans you're using, divide the batter to fit half of the pans (make sure you have enough to cover them up the other half)
  • Sprinkle the swirl mixture on top of the batter. Nice thick layer. Don't be cheap. No one likes it when you're cheap.
  • Cover the swirl with the remaining batter. If you did this right, you should have a pan with a layer of batter, swirl in the middle, and a top layer of batter.
  • If you did this wrong, don't blame me.
  • Top it all off with an even layer of streusel. Or, if you feel like you didn't make enough streusel, just put a little bit on top of each loaf. Trust me, it'll be ok.
  • Put in the oven for 50-60 minutes. It all depends on your oven and how much it lies to you. Yes, all ovens lie, better you know that now.
  • You'll know it's done when it's not jiggling anymore and you can stick a toothpick in it and it comes out without batter. Don't stick it into a chocolate chip and say it's not done yet because you'll have it in the oven for hours.
  • Take it out of the oven and let it cool for like 10 minutes. Then you can move it to a rack if you want or just leave it in the pan, it doesn't matter to me, it's your bread now, we're done here.

Notes

  • You can double this recipe! I recommend it. Sucks when you make something then it's gone in 3 hours.
  • I'm not sure if you can triple this recipe, but go for it, why not?! I dare you.
  • If doubling or tripling, please be sure to also increase the amounts of pans you use. Don't @ me if you triple this and try to fit it into one pan. You know who you are.
  • You DON'T have to have the swirl. Or the streusel. I have actually made this plenty of times without either of them and I prefer it that way.
  • Honestly, I prefer this without chocolate chips as well. But I did that once and NO ONE ATE IT. "This tastes weird, what did you do?!? Why is there no flavor??" There's.. banana.. flavor... just not an extra pound of sugar, you fiends.
  • If you make this with no streusel, cut the cooking time down by 10 minutes.
  • Always remember to use ripened bananas for your banana bread.
  • If you never made this before and you are not familiar, just think of it like this: If you look at a bunch of bananas on your counter, and you think to yourself, "yeesh, I should probably throw those away." You should instead be thinking, "YES! Time to make some banana bread!"
  • It's ok if you didn't know this secret. Stop smacking your forehead, I promise, it's fine. You didn't know, you just thought they were bad so you always threw them out. Well now you know.
  • And knowing is half the battle.
  • Why are ripened bananas always used? I'm glad you asked! Well besides the fact that they have anti-cancer qualities and a much higher level of antioxidants, over ripe bananas are almost always favored for baking. Their starch content has converted to sugar so the banana flavor has been heightened and it'll be a much sweeter taste rather than a bitter one from a green or regular yellow banana. Not to mention they're easier to mash up.
  • I made the streusel first. It doesn't matter the order, but it gave me something to munch on while making the rest of it.
  • Don't look at me like that! I know I was basically eating butter but you try to only have one bite.
  • It's bread. You're going to need a loaf pan.
  • If you do not own a loaf pan, then guess what? That's perfectly fine. Make Banana Muffins. Or a Banana Bread Sheet. The Banana Bread Police will not come knocking on your door to ask you what you're doing, I promise. 
  • Just don't put raisins in it, or I'll come for you myself. 
  • You can also add walnuts if you'd like to. 1/2 cup, together with the chocolate chips. But I have kids who are allergic so I try to not kill them when I can. 
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