Chocolate Chip Banana Bread-healthy Style!

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened but not melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed (as sweet as 1 1/2 cup of sugar)
• 3 bananas, blackened
• 2 eggs (or egg beaters substitute)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or 2 individual unsweetened applesauce containers)
• 1/2 cup 1% fat buttermilk (or use sub below in directions)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ (i like the honey flavor)
• 1/2-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (i use the nestle brand of minis because they don't sink to the bottom of the bread)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Recipe

• 1 if you don't have buttermilk then first put 1-2 tsps of vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of the measuring cup and add 1/2 cup of milk. by the time you need it for the recipe it should have thickened enough to pass. i have used real buttermilk and the sub and both always turn out great. you can also sub sour cream or vanilla yogurt.
• 2 cream butter, vanilla and sugar by hand.
• 3 coarsely mash bananas and add by hand to butter mixture.
• 4 add eggs, applesauce and buttermilk to mixture.
• 5 mix all dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking soda and wheat germ and baking powder if using) in a bowl with a whisk or fork. by hand, add to banana mixture only enough to moisten the dry ingredients. don't overwork the flour or it will result in rubbery bread!
• 6 stir in chocolate chips very gently as little as possible to incorporate.
• 7 whatever your pan preference, grease or spray with nonstick only the bottom and lower bottom edge so the bread will rise as fully as possible.
• 8 bake at 350°f for 45-1 hour and do a toothpick test (but keep in mind the chocolate chips will remain moist) to see when yours is done -- all ovens are different!
• 9 this will make 2 full size loaves and i slice each loaf into 10 even slices. it also made mini loaves, muffins and mini muffins well, but i had to adjust the cooking time (i don't remember the times on these). all were moist and yummy.
• 10 you can substitute the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips or nuts, or raisins, or cranberries without compromising the moistness or flavor of the bread. in fact, i like to combine those substitutions for different flavor combos. this bread is very friendly to adding grated (and squeezed dry) zucchini and carrot! i love giving this bread for gifts and making it for bake-sales and it freezes like a dream so i can prepare in advance for events! nobody believes it is actually quite good for you (well, all except for the chocolate) and most ask for the recipe.
• 11 again, i want to thank tracy h. for her original recipe. when i'm feeling really skinny, i love her bread the best!