Deliciously moist banana bread is marbled with dark chocolate and peanut butter for an extra special delight.
Have your bananas gone brown? If you're like me and hate mushy bananas as much as wasting food, then this chocolate banana bread with peanut butter swirl recipe is for you.
The secret of any banana bread is almost overripe bananas. The hardest part of making this chocolate banana bread was waiting for my banana to ripen.
Why do we need ripe bananas for baking?
As bananas ripen, the starch in the flesh is converted into sugar. This continues until the starch that was providing the firmness and structure for the banana has, for the most part, been converted to sugar, which is also partly why the insides continue to get mushier as the banana ripens.
So, more time converting starch to sugar means sweeter fruit. Although overripe banana may not look very appetizing, it is rich in antioxidants and has numerous benefits.
I searched for recipes and adapted this beautiful chocolate banana bread recipe by Kasey of Well-Fed Soul.
I used the ingredients I had on hand, so mine is not as healthy as hers or as pretty. And my marble is more like a swirl, lol.
🛒Ingredients and Notes
- Chocolate: I had dark chocolate on hand, but you can use semi-sweet. Using a good quality chocolate bar is a much better option than chocolate chips.
- Sugar: Instead of white sugar, you can add brown sugar, coconut sugar, or whole cane sugar. This gives the banana bread a wonderful caramel aroma.
- Bananas: The darker, the better. Bananas streaked with black/brown, with just the barest hint of green at the stem, are the best for banana bread.
- Peanut butter: To easily make the swirl, use creamy peanut butter.
🔪Step by Step Instructions
Although it might seem like too many steps, it is really easy to make the banana bread with chocolate and peanut butter swirls.
- Mash the ripe bananas in a small bowl.
- Beat the sugar with butter until smooth. Add eggs, peanut butter, milk, bananas, and vanilla.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour half of the batter into another bowl. Add the melted chocolate and cocoa.
- Drop the batter by the spoonful into the cake pan, alternating between the chocolate and peanut butter batter.
- Bake for an hour on 350 F.
🍌How to quickly ripen bananas?
There are three ways to quickly ripen bananas for banana bread:
- Place bananas in a brown paper bag with an apple. Close loosely. They should be ripe in a couple of days.
- Bake unpeeled bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until completely blackened. Cool before using.
- Microwave the peeled bananas for about 30 seconds. You should hear them sizzling.
💡Recipe Tips
- It's best to use a good quality chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips.
- For a loaf of healthier banana bread, use whole wheat flour. I think it would be good with almond flour for a gluten-free version.
- You can replace the butter with vegetable oil or coconut oil.
- Drop larger mounds of batter into the pan for that marble look (not like I did by the spoon - see photos)
- Using the banana on the top is optional.
- You can add ½ cup chopped walnuts to the batter if you desire.
- Instead of a round pan, bake this banana bread in a large loaf pan.
❓FAQs
Open it up. If the insides turn too dark brown or black, that indicates that the flesh has spoiled. However, some people deliberately wait to develop the banana liquor that gives such depth and richness to the baked goods.
After they get freckled, they will turn black and get a little shriveled. Place them into the fridge, and after a bit of time, they'll start to ooze their liquor which means the sugars are almost fermented.
You can even smell a note of alcohol. Use in a banana bread recipe. I have yet to try this method.
Cover with plastic wrap and can keep the banana bread in the refrigerator for about a week. It will last about two days at average room temperature, and if frozen, it will maintain the best quality for about 2-3 months.
Equipment Needed
Electric Mixer
An electric mixer is a staple of every kitchen, and you certainly don’t need to buy one if you already have a mixer that works. I would recommend a standing mixer.
It’s a time-saver – you let it do its thing while you prep other ingredients. If you can afford this one, put it on your Christmas or Birthday wish list. That’s how I got mine; two people pitched in.
Mixing Bowls
I prefer glass mixing bowls, but they tend to be heavy. The plastic bowls are probably the easiest to use. However, they tend to retain the aroma and get scratches from the beaters, whisk, or fork.
So, after some trial and error, I now only use plain, stainless steel mixing bowls with lids. The color coated bowls aren’t practical to wash in a dishwasher – the color will peel off.
9-inch Cake Pan
I suggest getting two (as in this option) because you never know when you will need it for a layered cake. Even though it is non-stick, I always line it with parchment paper, just in case. Nothing worse than your cake sticking to the bottom of a pan!
More Delicious Recipes to Try
- Boozy German Coconut Banana Cake
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Potato Candy
- Carrot Cake with Cheesecake Swirl
- Coconut Banana Caribbean Cream
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Banana Bread with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup over-ripe bananas about 4 bananas + 1 more for the top if using
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar I used coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup butter melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 oz. dark chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round pan with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Mash the bananas in a small bowl until smooth, using the back of a fork.
- With an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and melted butter until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and beat just until smooth. Mix in the peanut butter, milk, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just incorporated. Pour the half of the batter into a separate bowl.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments until smooth (you can also do this in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat). Add the chocolate and cocoa powder to one half of the batter and mix until smooth.
- Alternating between the chocolate and peanut butter, drop the batter into the prepared cake pan with a spoon. Run a knife in 8-figure patterns through the batter to create swirls. Gently press banana halves into the top, if desired.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Tent the bread with a foil during the last 15 minutes of baking if necessary to prevent from burning.
- Cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan place on a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
Expert Tips
- It's best to use a good quality chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips.
- For a loaf of healthier banana bread, use whole wheat flour. I think it would be good with almond flour for a gluten-free version.
- You can replace the butter with vegetable oil or coconut oil.
- Drop larger mounds of batter into the pan for that marble look (not like I did by the spoon - see photos)
- Using the banana on the top is optional.
- You can add ½ cup chopped walnuts to the batter if you desire.
- Instead of a round pan, bake this banana bread in a large loaf pan.
Just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you! Sending a virtual hug your way. Now pass over that chocolate banana bread. Take Care
That looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Rhonda! xx
Yum this looks so tempting!
Thanks, Kat! It's hard to say no to 😉
My family loves banana bread. I'll have to try this! Thanks for sharing your recipe at the Merry Monday linky party!
Who doesn't, am I right? Thanks for popping in, Lauren!
Umm.. What is life?! This recipe I am fluent in, as chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas are all my love language! Thanks for sharing this!
I speak your language too! 😉 Thanks for visiting, Madalyn! x
That looks really yummy Jas. I have to agree with you about bananas being just the right ripeness. There's nothing worse than biting into a mushy one. Just no. Although I must admit I do like them fried and then they become a little mushy, but it's a different kinda mushy 😀
LOL, a different kind of mushy. You always manage to crack me up, but I totally get it! I like them mashed up with a tablespoon of almond butter. So yummy! xx
The bread looks so gorgeous! I love anything banana. 😀 Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday, Jas!
It's such a versatile fruit, isn't it? Thanks for stopping in, Jhuls!
This looks utterly delicious, I'm going to give this a go but make it gluten free ...I may even try to make it egg free so that I can eat it too!
Let me know how it turned out, Rebecca! Love new takes on a recipe. 😀
Yum! This looks gorgeous! Almost too pretty to eat! 🙂
Almost ;). Thank you!
'Almost' because you can't not eat it, right? 🙂
Correct! LOL
Adding peanut butter to a banana bread is genius - I've never seen that before!! xx Maria
I thought so too, Maria! It was one of those times when I go: why didn't I think of that first? LOL
This bread is beautiful, and it uses some of my favorite ingredients--bananas, chocolate, and peanut butter! I like your suggestion to add walnuts. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
So glad you like it, Kat! 😀
Thanks Jas, almonds are no go also so we'll try with the white chocolate.
Awe, that's too bad! White chocolate should be good in this recipe. Follow the instructions for the chocolate batter, minus the cocoa powder. 🙂 Hope you like it!
Jas, that's a very yummy looking cake. I'm thinking Reese's peanut butter cups with a banana. Yes, that used to be a favorite of mine. I'd take a bite of the Reese's and a bite of banana. It was so good.
Now, we're a nut free house (allergies) so no peanut butter. Do you think it would make without the peanut butter? Any substitute ideas? Thanks for another lovely post.
Hi, Ron! I remember trying peanut butter for the first time some 20+ years ago in Germany and thought it was disgusting - neither sweet nor salty. It's still not my favorite (I prefer Nutella), but I do like almond butter a lot, which you can use instead of peanut butter. Almonds aren't nuts and most people I know with nut allergies can safely consume almonds. If not, I'd use white chocolate just to get the marble effect. You can't really taste peanut butter all that much in this bread anyway. 🙂