Double Chocolate Banana Bread from Smitten Kitchen

I am a huge fan of Deb from Smitten Kitchen and love to make her recipes because they always turn out and taste fabulous. This chocolate banana bread is perfect, it is easy, chocolaty, fudgy and delicious. 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Recipe from: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup  butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Prepare a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with butter or spray it with baking spray. I line mine with parchment paper as well to make it easier to remove. 

Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. Then whisk in melted butter, add the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Place baking soda, salt, flour and cocoa powder in a sifter and sift over wet ingredients.  Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined do not over mix as you do not want to bread to be dry.  Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

Pour mixture in to prepared pan. Then bake for 55-65 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick or skewer, should come out clean and may have a smear of the chocolate chips. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. Let cool for in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and serve warm or cool completely. 

You can find Debs great recipes on her blog or in her cookbooks. 

The Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie

I am always searching for the BEST tasting chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, brownies and chocolate chip cookies. This week while perusing Pinterest I came across  a new recipe for the "best" basic chocolate chip cookie and frankly in my mind it is the best cookie I have made in the last few years. These cookies are easy, chocolaty, crispy and delicious. They have a crispy outside which I love and pockets of chocolate throughout from chipping the chocolate and soft gooey insides.

The BEST, Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie

Recipe from Seven Spoons Cookbook via Yahoo Lifestyle

1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, chopped

31/4 cups (415 g) all-purpose flour

11/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

11/2 teaspoons medium-grain kosher salt

11/2 cups (320 g) packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 ounces (340 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional) 

Preheat an oven to 360°F (180°C). Line 2 heavy baking sheets or sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over the lowest heat possible, melt the butter, without boiling, so minimal moisture is lost. Stir regularly, until the butter is almost completely melted. 

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.

Pour the melted butter into a large bowl and whisk in the sugars. The mixture may look like it will seize, but it will relax with a few seconds of stirring. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking briskly after each addition, but only to combine. Stir in the vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir in the dry ingredients. Once mostly blended, fold the chocolate into the dough until the remaining flour is incorporated, and the dough no longer looks dusty. Do not overmix.

If the dough seems warm or looks overly glossy, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Then roll into balls using 3 tablespoons of dough for each. Arrange on the prepared pans, leaving 3 inches in between each cookie. Sprinkle with sea salt if you like. Bake until the tops are cracked and lightly golden, yet the cookies are still soft at the center, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. Leave the cookies on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. The cookies can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

To make ahead, shape the dough in scoops or logs, wrap tightly, then seal in bags, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frozen scoops can be baked without defrosting, while logs should be held in the fridge until soft enough to slice. Reduce the oven temperature to 330°F (165°C) and increase the baking time as needed.