Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Bread

One of my favorite food blogs is Spoon Fork Bacon.  Man can these girls cook!! {{Not to mention, their food photography is heavenly}}  I find myself saving almost every recipe they post and cooking their stuff as much as I can.  Their recipes come out perfect every time.  They’ve been doing something that I love on their blog lately: taking a recipe and turning it into something else -- for example, they made this banana bread into french toast and then turned it into mini churro bites.  I love the idea of taking what you make and taking a creative spin with it.  Definitely check out their blog if you make this bread -- their alternatives look divine.  

On to todays’ recipe -- My husband is a big banana fan, so when we stumbled upon 19 cent a pound bananas at Trader Joe’s, we stocked up!  Fortunately, a few of those bananas got wonderfully mushy so I decided to whip up some banana bread.  This recipe was a perfect fit because the toasted coconut really brought it to the next level.  The coconut kept the bread moist and tender and gave it that nutty flavor that we are so accustomed to in a banana bread.  

Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Bread

Makes 1 (9”) loaf

From Spoon Fork Bacon

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 medium over-ripe bananas

2 1/2 tbsp milk

1/2 c. (1 stick) plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 c. plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c. chocolate chips

2/3 c. shredded coconut, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 325.  Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together into a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mash bananas with milk.  Set aside.
3. In another mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down sides of bowl and add eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir in the vanilla, followed by the banana mixture, until just combined.
5. Stir in flour mixture until just combined and fold in chocolate chips and coconut.
6. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan and add batter.
7. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of bread.  
8. Allow bread to cook in pan for 20 minutes before removing and allowing bread to cool completely.  Slice and serve.