Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

 I use to think that January was the most boring month ever.  Any of you with me on that?

Maybe because it's the let down of the holidays or just because it starts to get really cold, at least it use to here in Idaho, lately that's not been the case.  Our beautiful snow melted off completely and it's now been raining for 4 straight days.

Anyways, back to January.  This year I thought surely this month is not going to be boring.  We are going to play and stay busy and just enjoy it for what it is, a month of getting back into the routines and cleaning up from the holidays--physically and emotionally.

So now that January is more than half over, I am absolutely amazed.  This month has flown by and I can hardly find two seconds to make a recipe or read a book.  Maybe that's because I have two new responsibilities in my church, one being super big and pretty overwhelming at the moment but hey, it's made January not boring! 

So here's to making January a not boring month and to some delicious sweet bread because sometimes the thing that makes me feel better and less stressed is some awesome comfort food.  I really enjoyed this bread but I am a peanut butter on your banana kind of person.  The flavors are very mild and go well together and you can never go wrong with adding some chocolate!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

(click here for printable version)


3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
6 tbsp. white sugar
6 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp.n salt
3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp. plain fat-free yogurt (or sour cream)
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips tossed in 1 tablespoon flour

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray 9X5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Add a strip of parchment paper or wax paper to bottom of loaf pan, also spraying with cooking spray, for easy removal.

2.  In medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl; set aside. In bowl of a stand mixer, cream bananas, peanut butter, yogurt (or sour cream), egg, vanilla, and oil. Fold in flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain, then gently fold in chocolate chips.

3.  Scrape batter into loaf pan. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with few moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; carefully remove from pan, removing paper from the bottom, and allow to cool completely on wire rack before slicing.  Enjoy!

Source: For Goodness Sake