GoodFor
Banana Bread with 70% Chocolate Drops
There’s something timeless and soul-soothing about banana bread. It’s the kind of thing you make when you need grounding — when the fruit bowl is overflowing with spotty bananas or you just want the comfort of something warm, soft, and slightly sweet. The smell alone is enough to slow everything down.
This version leans into that comfort with the addition of rich 70% dark chocolate drops - just enough to make it feel a little luxurious, without tipping into dessert territory. It’s perfect sliced warm with a cup of tea, as a nourishing breakfast on a lazy weekend, or a not-so-guilty afternoon treat. And the best part? It’s made with pantry staples and comes together in minutes.
We now stock organic bananas in our flagship Grey-Lynn store, which would be ideal for using in the delicious loaf!
Ingredients
Ingredients
Serves 2
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3 ripe bananas, mashed
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1/3 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
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1/4 cup maple syrup or organic golden castor sugar
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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1 tsp baking soda
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A dash of milk of choice to loosen the mix
Method
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Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a loaf tin with baking paper — a little overhang on the sides makes it easy to lift out later.
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In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth and creamy. The riper they are, the sweeter and more flavourful your loaf will be. Add the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and stir well until the mixture is glossy and cohesive.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. This helps to evenly distribute the rising agents and spice so you don’t get any clumps.
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Now, gently fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. Don’t over-mix — just stir until everything is combined and no visible streaks of flour remain. Finally, add the chocolate chips and fold them through. Add a small dash of your favourite milk to lessen the mix a little, or just enough to bring it to a cake like batter consistency.
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Pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top gently with a spatula. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (a bit of melted chocolate is fine, but no wet batter).
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Let the loaf cool in the tin for 10–15 minutes before lifting it out and placing on a wire rack to cool completely — though it’s absolutely heavenly slightly warm, with the chocolate still melty.
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Serve warm or room temp, plain thickly sliced or with a lovely bit of butter and a cup of something hot.
