Peanut Butter Chip Banana Bread

My favorite banana bread recipe just got morphed in a delightful new way. Peanut butter chips! One of my fave snacks is a banana with a big ol’ smear of peanut butter on it. Now imagine little bursts of peanut butter flavor speckled throughout what is already the moistest, densest and bestest banana bread in all the land.

Oh my heavens.

What made me do this? It hit me – literally – one day as I was opening the baking cabinet and one of many, many bags of morsels slid out. And it is no wonder…

We have a bit of a morsel problem.

Sitting all together in one place, I know this looks bad, considering what I do for a living and all. It’s quite a collection. In our defense (I am sure not taking all the blame) we really are unable to pass by a great sale on our favorite things. Someday I’ll show you our pasta collection. And the crackers. And, oh my goodness, the cereal. You truly won’t believe it.

Trust me when I tell you these will last us for months, and are not being consumed by the handful. In unreasonable quantities, these morsels are a sugar and fat jackpot. Sprinkled conscientiously over otherwise wholesome baked goods, however, and it becomes a much more defendable ingredient. When it’s time to have a treat, we can get creative thanks to the vast variety. There’s semi-sweet (regular and mini) and dark chocolate, white, cinnamon chip, butterscotch, and, as featured today, the peanut butter morsels.

For now, if you are looking for a yummy, lower-fat breakfast idea for the kids, or a great snack, this is it. It’s made with whole grain flour, low fat yogurt, plenty of very ripe bananas, and just a touch of butter. You could even replace the butter with an equal amount of peanut butter for an even bigger PB kick. OOH! I wish I’d done that…

Now get to it!

Peanut Butter Chip Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Adapted from Cooking Light

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50-55 minutes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup peanut butter morsels (like Reese’s)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a standard loaf pan (9×5 inches) with spray oil.

In medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flours through sugar). In separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, banana, and yogurt. Add all at once to dry ingredients, and stir just until moistened. Do not overstir. This is critical to ensure a moist and tender crumb. The more you stir, the more gluten (protein strands) you form with the flour. So, use a light hand. Once the batter is moistened, carefully fold in most of peanut butter morsels, setting aside a tablespoon or two. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining morsels over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted 1-2 inches from the edge will come out clean – the center will be set but slightly sticky. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing bread. Finish cooling on a baking rack. Store in airtight container. Wrapped tightly, you can freeze for up to 3 months.

ENJOY!!

Like banana recipes? Here’s a few others you might try…

Banana Spice Muffins

Peanut Butter Yogurt with Bananas

Banana Nutella Muffins