I once came across a piece of food blogging advice that asked, “Does the internet really need another banana bread recipe?” At the time, I had to laugh a little, because I was already thinking about sharing my mother’s chocolate chip banana bread recipe. It felt simple, familiar, and maybe not especially trendy, but it was also one of the recipes I returned to again and again. After writing about rhubarb, panna cotta, pavlova, and other desserts, I decided this classic loaf still deserved a place here.
So, does the internet need another chocolate chip banana bread recipe? Maybe not in the abstract. But this particular banana bread is the one I know best, the one I grew up with, and the one I still believe is worth baking. It is not unusual or decorated with anything fancy. There is no miso, maple, tahini, cardamom, or artistic strip of banana on top. It is not vegan, gluten-free, or designed for a special diet. It is simply a moist, tender, chocolate-studded banana loaf that tastes like home.
Part of the reason I love this banana bread so much is that it is not really a bread at all. The original recipe came from a very 1950s cookbook called Thoughts for Buffets, where it appeared as “Chocolate Chip Banana Loaf.” Although it is baked in a loaf pan, the texture is closer to cake than to a traditional quick bread. The original version called for cake flour, though my mother always used all-purpose flour, and the batter is made by creaming butter and sugar together rather than by simply stirring wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
The original recipe also used far more sugar than I think is necessary. My mother reduced it, and in this case I agree with her completely. Somewhere between 3/4 cup and 1 cup of sugar gives the banana bread enough sweetness without overwhelming the bananas and chocolate. I have also made one small change of my own: I prefer mini chocolate chips. Regular chocolate chips taste good, of course, but they tend to sink toward the bottom of the loaf. Mini chips distribute more evenly throughout the batter, so every slice gets just the right amount of chocolate. I usually use about 1 cup, though you can increase the amount if you want a richer, more chocolate-heavy loaf.
This chocolate chip banana bread is worth keeping in your baking rotation for several reasons. First, it is delicious: soft, deeply golden, lightly tangy from the sour cream, and full of ripe banana flavor. Second, it is easy to make once you understand the method. It is one of the few desserts I can make from memory, and it is the recipe I often choose when I need a reliable cake-like loaf for a party, potluck, or casual dessert. Third, it is an excellent recipe for beginners or for baking with children. It teaches useful baking basics, including which substitutions are safe, which steps matter, and why over-mixing can change the final texture.
This recipe is flexible in a few helpful ways. The sugar can be adjusted from 3/4 cup to 1 cup depending on how sweet you like your banana bread. The butter can also be reduced slightly if you increase the sour cream. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup, or 8 tablespoons, of butter, but I often use 6 tablespoons and increase the sour cream from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup. I have used as little as 1/4 cup of butter with 1/2 cup of sour cream, and the banana bread was still good, though a little less decadent. I would not reduce the butter beyond that.
The sour cream is flexible too, within reason. Yogurt, buttermilk, or sour milk made with regular milk and a little lemon juice can all work. Light sour cream or 2% yogurt is fine, but nonfat dairy is not recommended. The loaf needs some fat for tenderness and flavor, and nonfat sour cream does not produce the same result.
There are a few other places where you can relax. The original recipe calls for sifting the flour and salt together, and my mother always did that. These days, I usually whisk them together in a bowl instead, and the banana bread still turns out beautifully. You can also bake the batter in either a standard 8 by 4 inch loaf pan or a larger loaf pan. A smaller pan will create a taller loaf and may take up to 90 minutes to bake. A larger pan will bake more quickly, so begin checking earlier.
Overripe bananas are ideal for this recipe, and frozen bananas work just as well. If you have bananas turning brown but are not ready to bake, freeze them and defrost them later. You can freeze them whole and unpeeled, or peel and mash them first before storing them in a freezer-safe container. The finished banana bread also freezes well. Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil, place it in a sealed freezer bag, and let it thaw at room temperature when you are ready to serve it.
A few parts of the recipe are not flexible. Use real butter, and use sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, or milk with some fat. Do not simply melt the butter and stir it into the dry ingredients; the butter and sugar should be creamed together to create the right texture. Most importantly, do not over-mix the batter after adding the flour. Fold gently just until no dry streaks remain. Over-mixing can make the loaf tough instead of tender.
Finally, do not be afraid to bake this banana bread until it is deeply golden brown. That burnished crust is one of the best parts of the loaf.
My Mother’s Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
A tender, cake-like chocolate chip banana bread made with ripe bananas, sour cream, butter, and mini chocolate chips.
Dessert
banana, banana bread, chocolate chip banana bread
Ingredients
-
2
c. (260 g)
all-purpose flour -
1/4
tsp
table salt -
1/4
c.
sour cream -
1 1/2
tsp
baking powder -
1/2
tsp
baking soda -
3/4
c. (150 g)
sugar
(or increase to 1 c. / 200 g) -
1/2
c. (113 g)
unsalted butter
at room temperature -
2
large eggs -
1
tsp
vanilla extract -
2
large bananas
(very ripe) -
1
c. (6 oz.)
mini chocolate chips
(use up to 2 cups / 12 oz. if you want extra chocolate)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
-
Grease a standard 8 by 4 inch loaf pan or a larger loaf pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
-
Peel and mash the bananas, then set them aside.
-
Sift the flour and salt together into a medium bowl, or whisk them together thoroughly, and set aside.
-
Place the sour cream in a bowl. Stir in the baking powder and baking soda, then let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes. It will begin to bubble as the leavening reacts with the sour cream.
-
Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until combined and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla, then add the sour cream mixture. Add the mashed bananas and beat until well incorporated.
-
Using a wooden spoon, rubber spatula, or silicone spatula, gently fold in the flour and salt mixture just until incorporated. Fold in the mini chocolate chips, mixing only until any remaining streaks of flour disappear.
-
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out free of batter. In an 8 by 4 inch pan, this may take up to 90 minutes. If using a larger pan, begin checking at 60 minutes.
-
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the banana bread cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto the rack and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Notes
- If you have overripe bananas but are not ready to bake, freeze them. This chocolate chip banana bread works very well with bananas that have been frozen and then defrosted.
- Yogurt, buttermilk, or sour milk can be used instead of sour cream, but do not use nonfat dairy.
- To make the loaf slightly lighter, you can reduce the butter and increase the sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, or sour milk. If using 6 tablespoons of butter, use at least 1/3 cup of sour cream. If reducing the butter to 1/4 cup, use about 1/2 cup of sour cream. Do not reduce the butter below 1/4 cup.
- If you do not have parchment paper, you can use a piece of a brown paper grocery bag to line the bottom of the pan.
- The flour and salt may be sifted together as in the original recipe, or whisked together in a bowl.
- The baked banana bread freezes beautifully. Wrap the loaf tightly in aluminum foil, place it in a sealed freezer bag, and thaw it at room temperature when ready to serve.