Do you have brown, overripe bananas lying around in your fruit baskets? Don’t throw them away.  My friend Maya has been baking banana bread with overripe bananas since she was a young’n.

The overripe bananas and chocolate chips in this recipe give the bread extra sweetness, while the walnuts provide it with a hearty body.  Add some shredded carrots or  substitute the chocolate chips with raisons to create a fruity, carrot cake variation.

Medium

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

Servings: 2 loaves

overripe bananas

Photo by Taku Harada

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 overripe bananas
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil two 4×8-inch loaf pans.
2. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and oil in a large bowl.  Add mashed bananas, too.  Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.

overripe bananas

Photo by Taku Harada

3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Make sure the chocolates and walnuts are blended well with the flour so they don’t sink to the bottom of the loaf while baking.

overripe bananas

Photo by Taku Harada

4. Add dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until you can’t see any more flour.

overripe bananas

Photo by Taku Harada

5. Pour mixture into the two pans and place in the oven.

overripe bananas

Photo by Taku Harada

6. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

overripe bananas

Photo by Taku Harada

7. Allow bread to cool and enjoy.

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