chocolate chip banana

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt

Posted on March 19, 2013

Hi, Everybody! I have a quick and easy banana bread recipe with a little twist to share with you today! I wanted to make a slightly lighter version of the classic recipe, so I reduced the amount of sugar (the ripe bananas that the recipe calls for are naturally sweet already anyway! And I couldn’t resist adding some chocolate chips…) and used low-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I love the texture that the Greek yogurt gives the banana bread; it’s much lighter and softer, and stays very moist. Here’s the recipe…

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

WITH GREEK YOGURT

(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

*Makes 1 loaf*

YOU WILL NEED

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used low fat)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large bananas)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 deg F, and lining your loaf pan with parchment paper (or greasing it). In your electric mixer bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until you get a smooth mixture.

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix until they are well combined. Add in the mashed bananas and Greek yogurt and mix. Lastly, add in the chocolate chips and stir using a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, and bake for about an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before eating.

Happy Baking, Everyone!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on April 14, 2015

Hi Everyone! A miserable, rainy day like today definitely calls for a sweet treat, don’t you think? Instead of making my favorite Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt (or this Nutella Swirled Banana Bread!) with the very ripe bananas that were sitting on the kitchen counter, I made something a little more special (but just as quick and easy!); This Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! Sure, you could just make the cream cheese frosting and eat it with a spoon (just kidding!) but it’s even better spread thick on this banana cake, topped with a handful of chopped nuts! The cake itself is so moist and delicious and makes for a great treat to go with your tea or coffee!

BANANA CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

*Makes one 8 inch cake*

YOU WILL NEED
BANANA CAKE
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or unsalted butter)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tbs baking soda
Optional: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
4oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Topping: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. First, preheat your oven to 350 deg F, and grease an 8 inch square (or round) baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and oil (or butter if you’re using butter instead of oil). Next, add in the egg, vanilla extract, applesauce and mashed bananas, and mix until you have a creamy mixture.

2. Next, sift in the rest of the ingredients: all-purpose flour, salt, ground cinnamon and baking soda, and mix until you have a smooth batter (it’ll still have some lumps because of the mashed bananas, which is fine). Using a spatula, fold in the 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if you’re using them, then pour the batter into your prepared baking pan, and bake for about a half hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. (If the cake begins to brown too much on top, you can cover it with a piece of foil to prevent it from burning.)

3. While the banana cake is baking, prepare your cream cheese frosting. This is my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe (it’s a Martha Stewart frosting recipe), and I use half of her original recipe for this cake. To make the frosting, make sure that both the cream cheese and the unsalted butter are at room temperature and completely softened, otherwise you won’t get a smooth frosting out of this! Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, mix together the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla extract until completely smooth.

4. Once the cake is completely cool, (make sure it is COMPLETELY cool, you don’t want your frosting to melt off the cake!) spread the frosting on top using a spatula. I like to make it look very casual and just make frosting swirls using the spatula, but you can make it look as fancy as you like! I don’t go all the way up to the cake edges, but leave about a half inch border or so, because I think it looks pretty when you can see the cake! At the end, simply sprinkle with more chopped walnuts or pecans!

(*Recipe Notes: I tweaked and combined a couple of my favorite recipes to come up with this Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. You can substitute buttermilk, Greek yogurt, sour cream or plain yogurt for the applesauce that I used here, any of those would work well in a banana cake. You can also substitute butter for the oil that I used here. This cake isn’t overly sweet, which is why the cream cheese frosting works well with it (it’s the same cream cheese frosting I use in these Carrot Cake Cupcakes), but if you prefer a sweeter cake, add in extra granulated sugar, or even brown sugar to the cake batter! And the more ripe the bananas are, the more sweetness they will add to the cake! I make this cake in an 8 inch square baking pan, but you could use a round pan instead, and even double the recipe, and make it into a two layer cake for a special occasion!)

Happy Baking, Everyone!
I will be linking to these awesome blogs!

Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

Posted on March 15, 2015

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a good weekend and are ready for the last couple of days of winter before spring officially begins in just five days! But before the week begins, I have a banana bread recipe to share with you. And it’s not just any banana bread recipe, it’s a Nutella Swirled Banana Bread recipe! Because Nutella makes everything better, including banana bread! To tell you the truth, I try not to buy Nutella too often because it inevitably ends with giant late night spoonfuls of it… but every once in a while, I give into the craving and buy a jar! I used my favorite banana bread recipe that uses Greek yogurt for this, added dollops of Nutella on top, and created the swirls using a knife. I love banana bread as it is, but adding the Nutella swirls to it just makes it that extra little bit more delicious!

NUTELLA SWIRLED BANANA BREAD
*Makes 1 loaf*

YOU WILL NEED
1 recipe banana bread (this is my favorite!)
A couple of spoonfuls of Nutella

DIRECTIONS

1. Follow the directions for making banana bread like you normally would (this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt is my absolute favorite recipe for banana bread! It always comes out super moist and stays fresh for days! I use it for this Nutella Swirled Banana Bread too, but I omit the chocolate chips – you can definitely keep them in the recipe for additional sweetness if you like – and I add chopped walnuts).

2. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F and grease your loaf tin (or line it with parchment paper). Pour your banana bread batter into your prepared loaf tin, then add a couple of spoonfuls of Nutella on top, distributing them over the whole loaf. Take a knife and gently create swirls in the batter. (Make sure the Nutella is at room temperature and is nice and spreadable!) Bake for about 50 minutes to an hour, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the baking tin for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

For more Nutella and/or banana recipes, check these out!

Left: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt (recipe here) Right: Chocolate Banana Bread (recipe here)

Left: Banana Nutella Crepes (recipe here) Right: Baked Banana Walnut Oatmeal (recipe here)

Grilled Nutella, Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich (recipe here)

Happy Baking, Everyone! I hope you all have a great week!
I will be linking to these awesome blogs!

Banana Oat Muffins

Posted on June 13, 2014

Hey Everyone! You know those days when there seems to be nothing left to eat in your kitchen but a couple of overly ripe bananas, the pantry looks bare and the fridge is empty no matter how many times you open it wishing something delicious would magically appear in there. And for some reason, those days are always when you are the hungriest! These Banana Oat Muffins were the result of one of those days in my kitchen, and I loved how they turned out so I wanted to share them with you today! They are wonderfully moist and sweet thanks to the bananas, they are super hearty and filling thanks to the whole wheat flour and rolled oats, and you can add additional crunch and sweetness with some chopped nuts or chocolate chips! And the best part is, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry!

BANANA OAT MUFFINS

(Adapted from this recipe)

*Makes 16*

YOU WILL NEED

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

2 medium sized bananas, mashed

Optional: chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F and line a muffin tin with some baking cups. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, oil (you can substitute applesauce for some or even all of the oil), egg, and vanilla extract and sugar (the muffins aren’t super sweet, so add some extra sugar if you prefer sweeter muffins, but if your bananas are very ripe, they will add a lot of sweetness). Sift in the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon and stir well.

2. Next, stir in the rolled oats and mashed bananas, and mix until you have a thick, smooth batter. Add in chopped nuts and chocolate chips at this point if you are adding them. Pour the batter into your prepared muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for a couple of minutes before eating.

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to THESE wonderful blogs!

Oven Baked Banana Boats

Posted on June 3, 2014

Hey Everybody! I have the perfect summertime sweet treat to share with you today! These banana boats are a comfort dessert at its best – they are ooey-gooey and oh so messy, but utterly delicious! Although this might be a classic campfire treat, the good news is that if you live in a condo like we do and can’t exactly have a bonfire on your balcony, you can still make these in your oven in just a couple of minutes! All you need are some bananas, and whatever fillings you want! I stuffed these with dark chocolate, almonds and mini marshmallows and which was so good, but you could use whatever you have on hand, or whatever your favorite nuts, chocolates or candies are!

OVEN BAKED BANANA BOATS

YOU WILL NEED

Bananas

Chocolate chips or chunks

Chopped nuts

Mini marshmallows

Nutella or peanut butter

… and any other delicious fillings you can think of!

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 deg F. Cut a slit in the bananas lengthwise, making sure you don’t cut through the peel on the bottom. Gently pull the sides apart and fill the inside of the banana with whatever fillings you choose! I used dark chocolate, almonds and mini marshmallows here. Next, wrap the whole bananas in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the filling has melted. I uncovered the top at that point and placed the bananas under the broiler for a minute to toast the marshmallows. Let cool for a couple of minutes before eating. And if you’re feeling extra indulgent, top with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles or ice-cream for extra sweet goodness!

For another fun summer sweet treat, check out THESE Summery S’mores Treats!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to THESE wonderful blogs!

Banana Oatmeal Bread

Posted on March 14, 2014

Good Morning, Everyone! I hope you’ve been having a good week, and if not… the weekend is almost here! But before it starts, I have a recipe to share with you! I LOVE banana bread, and have tried lots of different recipes, some of which I’ve shared with you here (like THIS Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt that’s still my favorite, or THIS Chocolate Banana Bread)! Here is another recipe to add to the banana bread recipe collection – Banana Oatmeal Bread! It’s super moist, not overly sweet, and makes for a great snack or breakfast!

OATMEAL BANANA BREAD

*Makes 1 loaf*

YOU WILL NEED

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs rolled oats

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt)

2 eggs

2 very ripe bananas (about 1 cup), mashed

Optional: chocolate chips, chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. First, preheat your oven to 350 deg F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper (or grease your loaf pan). In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract, until you have a smooth, yellow mixture. (Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste, I usually try to use less sugar, and if the bananas are super ripe, they will naturally add a lot of sweetness!)

2. Next, sift in the flour, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Stir well until all the ingredients are well combined. In a small bowl, combine the mashed bananas and yogurt, then add in 1/4 cup of oats and mix the batter well.

3. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbs of rolled oats. Bake for about an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and let cool in the pan before slicing. (*Note: if the bread is getting too brown while it’s baking, cover it with some foil to prevent it from burning.)

For other banana bread recipes, try THIS Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt, or THIS Chocolate Banana Bread!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to THESE wonderful blogs!

Grilled Nutella, Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

Posted on January 22, 2014

Hi Everybody! So the world outside our windows has turned into a winter wonderland… again! This has been one of the coldest, snowiest winters I can remember! And being snowed in definitely calls for some indulgent comfort food, preferably sweet comfort food (at least for me!) which is exactly what I’m sharing with you today! This Grilled Nutella, Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich really needs no explanation. All that sweet deliciousness stuffed between two slices of fresh white bread speaks for itself! It may not be the prettiest looking sandwich, but it is definitely one of the tastiest!

GRILLED NUTELLA, PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA SANDWICH

YOU WILL NEED

Sliced bread

Unsalted butter

Nutella

Peanut butter

Sliced banana

Optional: chopped nuts, mini marshmallows, honey

DIRECTIONS

To make this sandwich, all you need to do is spread some butter on one side of each piece of bread, then spread some Nutella on the other side of one slice, and some peanut butter on the other side of the second slice. Slice the banana and stuff the sandwich with it, then cook the sandwich in a pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side, until the bread is golden brown and the filling has warmed through! You can also add other goodies into your sandwich, like chopped nuts, mini marshmallows, a drizzle of honey, chocolate chips…. whatever you are in the mood for!

And if you’re feeling particularly sinful, pair this delicious little sandwich with my Nutella Hot Chocolate (find the recipe HERE!)… because you can never have too much Nutella!

Happy Cooking, Everyone!

Chocolate Banana Bread

Posted on August 27, 2013

Hi Everyone! I have a great little recipe to share with you today… for some Chocolate Banana Bread! I feel like every time I buy a big bunch of bananas they somehow manage to turn brown before we get to eat them all… and so they usually turn into banana bread! I usually make THIS Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt, but this time I wanted to make something a little more chocolaty so I added some melted chocolate and cocoa powder and voila! This bread is just delicious, it’s soft and moist thanks to the yogurt, and wonderfully sweet from the bananas and chocolate. You could add in some chopped walnuts or pecans, and even throw in some extra chocolate chips into the batter to make it even more chocolaty! This bread couldn’t be simpler to make or more delicious!

CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

*Makes 1 loaf*

YOU WILL NEED

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tps baking soda

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt (either Greek or regular)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by melting your chocolate first (either over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave). Once the chocolate has melted, set it aside and let it cool a little bit. Next, in your electric mixer bowl, combine all your wet ingredients and the mashed bananas and mix until you have a smooth mixture.

2. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder). Add the dry ingredients into the wet in three portions and mix well. Then, with the mixer running on low, add in a big spoonful of the melted chocolate and mix well (make sure the chocolate isn’t super hot anymore), then add in the rest and mix well.

3. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F and grease a standard size loaf pan, then bake for about 45 – 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for a couple of minutes before slicing.

For another delicious Banana Bread recipe, try my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt! You can find the recipe HERE.

Happy Baking, Everyone!

2013 Shopgirl Favorites

Posted on December 26, 2013

Hi Everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I have been stuffing myself with cookies and chocolates and all kinds of good things for the past few days and now feel like I need to seriously cut my sugar intake! But not just quite yet, that’s for those new year’s resolutions, right?! With 2014 being less than a week away now, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts from the past year with you today, so here they are!

Homemade Cheez-Its (HERE) and Homemade Ice-cream Sandwiches (HERE)

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts (HERE) and Classic Apple Strudel (HERE)

Daisy Sugar Cookies (HERE) and Linzer Heart Cookies (HERE)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt (HERE) and Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies (HERE)

Gingerbread Cookie Tree (HERE) and Gingerbread House 2013 (HERE)

Cheesy Quinoa and Broccoli Patties (HERE) and Zucchini Patties (HERE)

Fabric Covered Hangers (HERE) and DIY Kate Spade Inspired Jewelry Dish (HERE)

Pumpkin Candle Holders (HERE) and Monogrammed Pumpkin Table Setting (HERE)

DIY Boxwood Square Wreath (HERE) and Christmas Sweater Treat Bags (HERE)

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog throughout the year, for reading along and leaving comments and sharing your thoughts, I always love hearing from you all! I hope that 2013 has been a good year for you, and that 2014 will be even better! Enjoy the rest of the year!

Light Raspberry Muffins with Greek Yogurt

Posted on May 20, 2013

Hi, Everyone! Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend! I have a great recipe to share with you to start this week off! These Light Raspberry Muffins with Greek Yogurt are delicious and make for a great breakfast! They are not overly sweet (so feel free to add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste!) and are incredibly light and fluffy. I reduced the amount of butter used in the original recipe by half, and replaced it with Greek yogurt, which makes these muffins wonderfully soft and moist. As well as making my own muffins, making my own Yogurt would be worth it too. It goes with pretty much everything- in cereal, cakes, fruit and even seeds! I’d have to look into the best rated yogurt maker to do this, as we only have the best here.
Here’s the recipe…

LIGHT RASPBERRY MUFFINS

WITH GREEK YOGURT

(Recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa)

*Makes 8 – 10 muffins*

YOU WILL NEED

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tbs baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tbs milk

1 egg

4 tbs unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 tbs all-purpose flour, for coating raspberries

;

DIRECTIONS

1. First, in your electric mixer bowl, mix together the milk, egg, melted butter, vanilla extract and Greek yogurt, until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.

2. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two or three portions, making sure that all the ingredients are well combined and there are no lumps, but making sure not to over mix the batter so it stays light once the muffins are baking. In a small bowl, sprinkle the raspberries with 1 tbs of all-purpose flour and very gently toss until they are all coated. Add them into the batter, folding them in gently using a spatula so they keep their shape and don’t get mushy.

3. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F and line your muffin pan with baking cups. Fill the baking cups with the batter until they are about 3/4 of the way full, then bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for a couple of minutes before eating.

And for another recipe that uses Greek yogurt, try this delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! Find my recipe here!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

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