Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

The fact that I've been blogging and creating recipes for over five years now and have yet to create a banana bread recipe is beyond me...So, it's about time I did my duty and shared this beauty with y'all!

After staring at a bunch of overly-ripe bananas on my counter for too many days, I finally put them to good use in this insanely tasty Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. While you could always omit the chocolate for a more traditional version, I think it adds so much extra yumminess.

Ripe bananas, of course, make the base of this bread, along with nut butter (I used almond but any will work), eggs, almond flour, baking powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.

It's an extra bonus that many of y'all, like me, might already have some or all of the above stocked up in your pantry and fridge, which is always my goal when making recipes to share.

Mix these up, and stir in your chocolate chips or chunks of choice. I use and love either the Hu Kitchen Chocolate Chips or Lily's Sweets Baking Chips but you can use any that you have on hand.

For a little extra pizazz, I also love to slice and place another banana on top, but this is completely optional as well. I will say it makes for an extra beautiful presentation and adds some extra moisture and texture!

Let this bake until it has a perfectly golden top, and allow to cool before slicing. Enjoy alongside a cup of coffee or for dessert with a little vanilla ice cream - you simply can't go wrong :)

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas (for mashing), plus one for topping (optional)
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup (runny) nut butter of choice
2 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (plus more for topping)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tin with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. Add bananas to a large bowl, and mash.
3. Add nut butter, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix to combine.
4. Add almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix to create a well-combined batter.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Pour the batter into baking tin, and spread into an even layer.
7. Slice remaining banana lengthwise, and place on top of batter. Sprinkle with a few more chocolate ships.
8. Bake for ~50 minutes, until top is golden brown and cake tester comes out clan (with only a few crumbs).
9. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool further before slicing. Enjoy!