When all else fails… just add chocolate. I can’t get over the flavor that’s packed in my Hershey Bar Banana Bread!
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Give me ALL the chocolate.
Banana bread was always one of my mom’s favourite recipes to prepare. Growing up, I’d beg her to fill the batter with endless amounts of chocolate chips. I always had a sweet tooth, and she definitely catered to that (with healthy limitations, of course).
I decided to make my very own, leaning in on the key ingredient that I always loved most: chocolate.
One day, my husband asked me, “I’m running out to get gas – want anything from the station?” That’s when it hit me: chocolate bars! Why not fill my banana bread with some of our family’s favourite chocolate bars?
Adding Chocolate to Banana Bread
The key to adding chocolate bars to banana bread is making sure you chop them into small chunks. You fold them into the batter, treating them exactly if you were using chocolate chips.
I opted for traditional Hershey bars since they break off into little rectangles. I added the chocolate chunks to the top of my loaf for a drool-worthy effect.
Ripe Bananas for Banana Bread
So, how ripe is ripe enough to make banana bread? The general rule of thumb is “the riper the better.”
I waited until the skin of my bananas were more black than yellow. Of course, you have to use them before they actually go bad. Be sure to keep an eye on your fruit as the days pass.
How to Get Bananas Ripe
There are all sorts of methods to get your bananas to ripen quicker. Lots of people talk about the oven method, where you bake them at a low temperature.
I like going the more “natural” route by placing them in a paper bag with another fruit (usually an apple). It helps speed everything up, but not drastically.
The Perfect Texture
The texture is everything in this banana bread recipe. As it bakes, the pieces of the Hershey chocolate melt rather beautifully in the batter.
For the bread’s “fat” component, I opted for vegetable oil rather than softened butter. Oil is just easier to work with for this particular recipe and locks in the moisture real good!
How to Make Hershey Bar Banana Bread
Chocolate enthusiasts: this one’s definitely for you! I hope you enjoy my recipe as much as our family does.
Hershey Bar Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp softened butter (for the pan)
- 1-2 tbsp flour (for the pan)
- 3 1.22 oz. Hershey bars
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a standard loaf pan (about 9 x 5 in size)with butter then sprinkle with flour.
- Cut two of the Hershey bars into small chunks. Set aside.
- On a plate, mash bananas with the back of a fork. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add oil, sugar, vanilla and egg. Mix well.
- Add flour, baking soda and salt, and mix.
- Fold chocolate chunks into the batter. Pour batter into coated pan.
- Top the banana loaf batter with pieces of the third Hershey bar (we like keeping the rectangle in-tact so that you could see the “HERSHEY” logo).
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean if inserted in the center.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and serve.
Are you a big fan of chocolate? Is this banana loaf something you’d be interested in?
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This recipe looks so delicious! My kids will definitely love this!
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely delicious! I’m totally adding this to my next banana bread batch!
Oh my goodness this looks sooooooo good! I’m going to the store today to make this!