Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

You've likely made a loaf of banana bread before, and there's an even better chance that you tossed in some chocolate chips at some point. But have you ever considered making a loaf of olive oil chocolate chip banana bread? That's exactly what recipe developer Jessica Morone does in this recipe, and though it may seem like an odd oil choice at first thought, there are several reasons why olive oil is a special ingredient choice that really works here. "The olive oil in this banana bread is a special ingredient because it gives it a really nice flavor, and the olive oil combined with the sour cream in this recipe makes the banana bread incredibly moist," Morone explains.

Flavor aside, olive oil is also a more wholesome oil option compared to its close competitors. "Olive oil is healthier than more refined oils, like vegetable and canola oil," Morone explains. And, considering olive oil is one of the most popular types found in the average kitchen, it's nice to have a baking recipe on hand that utilizes it. All told, you'll end up with a moist, and subtly sweet chocolate chip banana bread that will make your mornings and snack times a little brighter.

As the title suggests, and as we've already mentioned, you'll need olive oil, chocolate chips, and very ripe bananas to make this bread. But, there are a few other ingredients required to make the magic happen, and those include all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, both brown and granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream. 

Kick things off by preheating your oven to 325 F, then use either cooking spray or butter to grease a 9-x5-inch loaf pan. Grab a clean bowl, and whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Grab a separate, large-sized bowl, and add in the olive oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, mixing to thoroughly combine. Then, to that large bowl, mix in the mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream until combined.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt mixture into the large bowl with the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. "You want to make sure you don't overmix the batter, otherwise, it could end up dense and rubbery, so you can mix this batter up by hand to avoid overmixing it," Morone advises.

As a final step with the batter, gently fold in those chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, then optionally sprinkle even more chocolate chips on top.

Pop the bread into the oven, and allow it to bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes — you'll know it's done when it's golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean (well, a few moist crumbs are okay). While it will likely take at least 1 hour to bake, Morone does advise to "start checking the loaf in the oven at around 55 minutes for doneness."

Once it is done, remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool down completely. Then, slice it up, and serve as desired. "This is a great bread to have for breakfast, or as a snack," Morone says. "You can spread things like butter, Nutella, or peanut butter on it to make it even more delicious."