Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Crystallized Ginger

As is usual this time of year, I keep finding myself besieged with over-ripe bananas. Each week, I tell myself that if I buy a blend of ripe and green bananas, I’ll be able to make them last without another trip to the store. It doesn’t work. During the latter half of each week, I inevitably wind up buying fresh bananas because I can’t abide the thought of squeezing banana mush, in lieu of the usual slices, onto my breakfast cereal. And no, I’m not about to give up my cereal with bananas, at least not for so long as bananas remain readily and cheaply available. This may not be much longer, according to Banana, as they are increasingly victim to some hideous blight, but I can’t think about that. I won’t think about it. It makes me sad.

Even though I already have two solid banana bread recipes, I’m always looking for new ways to dispose of these banana rejects. I’ve seen banana bread with crystallized ginger and chocolate on several blogs, so I can’t say this is an original idea. It’s an original recipe to the extent that I didn’t bother consulting any of these recipes before making my own – I just adapted my regular banana bread recipe to make it amenable to these flavor profiles.

So how does it taste? Honestly, it’s a bit of an oddity. I used a full half cup of crystallized ginger, and for the husband, that might be a bit much. He’s eating it – he doesn’t like cereal for breakfast and consumes most of the quick breads that get made in my house – but he doesn’t seem enthusiastic about it. He’s usually pretty enthusiastic. I don’t think he will be upset if I don’t make this again.

I, on the other hand, thought this was pretty much the best quick bread ever. The intensity of the ginger flavors and the accompanying sweet little hits of chocolate made this feel almost like a dessert. It’s definitely not your usual banana bread, and that’s what keeps sending me back for more nibbles.

Or maybe it’s just weird and yucky. You be the judge.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Crystallized Ginger

½ stick unsalted butter, room temp or melted
2/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons malted milk powder (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 6-oz container plain yoghurt (lowfat is fine)

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons white wheat flour (or substitute all-purpose)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2/3-3/4 cup chocolate chips (about half a 12-oz bag)
½ cup crystallized ginger, diced fine (about ½ cm chunks)

Preheat oven to 350. In medium-large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, malted milk powder, and vanilla. Add eggs and yoghurt.

In smaller bowl, stir or whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add crystallized ginger and stir around to break up clumps. Add chocolate chips.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes one loaf.

Printable recipe here.