Cinnamon Cocoa Banana Bread

Who doesn't love a good banana bread? And who doesn't have bananas sitting on the counter past their best before date? If you've got 4 then you've got what you need for this amazing loaf! Did you know you can throw overripe bananas into the freezer with their peels on, then just defrost when you want to bake with them?  

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsps vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsps chia seeds (optional)

4 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)

Cinnamon Cocoa Swirl:

3 tbsps butter, melted

3 tbsps sugar

3 tbsps brown sugar

2 tbsps cinnamon

1 tbsp cocoa

Whisk cooled, melted butter with the sugar. Then add the eggs, vanilla and mashed banana. Combine the flour, baking soda (and chia seeds) and add to the wet ingredients stirring just until combined. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon cocoa swirl ingredients. Oil and flour a 9 X 5" loaf pan.

Pour 1/4 of the batter in the pan, then a 1/4 of the swirl mix and gently swirl with a knife. Then 1/3 of the batter and 1/3 of the swirl mix, 1/2 the batter and 1/2 the swirl mix and swirl it. Add the remaining batter and dollop the remaining swirl mix on top. Swirl it through.

Bake at 350°F for 70-95 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool 30 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Is this slice actually smiling?!

Adapted from: thebakermama.com

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