an irregular muse

This banana bread takes a well known classic recipe and adds peanut butter and chocolate chips to give you a loaf that is moist and even more bursting in flavour. This was inspired by Jamba Juice's peanut butter moo'd smoothie.



Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 2/3 cup of peanut butter
• 2/3 cup of milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of rolled oats

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
2. Peel and mash up the bananas in a large mixing bowl
3. Add peanut butter and stir in until blended
4. Melt butter, add to the mixing bowl
5. Add brown sugar, mix
6. Beat eggs, add to the mixing bowl
7. Add cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, mix
8. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, fold it in with spatula until a thick but even consistency
9. Add most of the chocolate chips into the batter (leaving a few for the top), fold it in
   
10. Butter a bread pan, pour in loaf batter and level off the surface roughly
    
11. Add the remaining chocolate chips to the top
12. Sprinkle rolled oats on top
13. Bake for about an hour*, it is ready when a knife can be inserted and removed cleanly
14. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes
15. Remove from pan, cut into slices

Best served hot, à la mode.

*Banana bread goes from gooey and undone to moist and perfect within a few minutes. So be sure to check every few minutes after about an hour (depending on the oven). If overdone, the loaf will come out dry. Moistness timing will come with practice.

Good luck and enjoy!