Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I used to think I couldn't bake. I could not make a good cookie for the life of me. Now I work as a pastry cook. Funny how that happens.

I used to think I did not like peanut butter. My parents claimed they didn't like peanut butter, so I just followed their lead. All of those childhood years where I could have brought a pb&j sandwich to school for lunch, I was packin' rye bread with cream cheese and cucumber. Now pb is one of my favorite foods--crunchy, creamy, flavored, skippy, or all-natural, on toast, in a shake, with some ice cream, or right off the spoon--I love it every way.

This peanut butter banana bread was one of the first baked goods that I had made successfully when I was a novice baker. The banana, yogurt, and peanut butter combo help keep the bread/cake very moist. Easy to throw together, hard to mess up, tasty to the tongue.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Choco Chips

From VegetarianTimesMagazine

Ingredient List

Serves 8

• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I have used regular whole wheat flour and all purpose flour before, and both work fine)
  
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar or raw sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup unsweetened crunchy peanut butter (Skippy brand is a winner for me here)
  
• 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat standard loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
2. Whisk together mashed bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, egg and oil. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool on rack 15 minutes before unmolding. Cool completely, then slice and serve.

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING: Calories: 342, Protein: 6g, Total fat: 14g, Saturated fat: 4.5g, Carbs: 52g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 286mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 34g

Yes, I created that smudge on the right with my finger. I just couldn't let that lone melty chocolate chip sit there all alone.