Marble Banana Bread

The yummy tastes of chocolate and banana are good enough on their own, but when they’re combined and baked into bread, they’re even better.

Banana bread swirled with a rich chocolate batter that’s embellished with mini chocolate morsels is a treat that will appeal to folks of all ages.

So if you’re looking for unique ways to make use of overripe bananas, try this recipe. After all, you can’t go wrong the pairing of chocolate and bananas.

MARBLE BANANA BREAD

Vegetable shortening, for pans
2 cups flour, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate morsels, plus 2 tablespoons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottoms of two 8×4-inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, bananas, sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.

Remove 1/3 of the batter to a small bowl; stir cocoa powder and chocolate morsels into this batter. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup flour into the plain batter. Spread half of the plain batter into both prepared pans. Using half of the chocolate batter, drop heaping tablespoons randomly onto plain batter in both pans. Spread the remaining plain batter over chocolate batter in both pans. Drop the remaining chocolate batter over plain batter in the same manner in both pans. Using a butter knife, swirl through the batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle loaves with the remaining 2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate morsels. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely. Makes 2 medium loaves