Peanut Butter Banana Bread fit for the King (of Rock & Roll)

Posted On October 21, 2018

I’d like to tell you that my inaugural recipe for peanut butter banana bread was carefully thought out after poring over hundreds of online recipes and cookbooks. But really it started with some overripe bananas.

In my kitchen if often feels like feast or famine. Either I have too much of something (how did I end up with four economy-size bottles of ketchup?) or not enough. I blame the erratic eating habits of young kids. My meal planning is impeccable so it’s certainly not me . . .

In this case, my children collectively decided bananas were disgusting (check back next week as it’s likely to change) and thus I ended up with a half dozen overripe mushy bananas. I hate to waste food so I usually make a straightforward banana bread. Can’t go wrong with that, right? Maybe I’ll add some chocolate chips to really go wild but that’s it. No muss, no fuss.

For you, my dear readers though, I decided to mix it up. Looking at the bananas made me think of the sandwiches my mother used to pack in my school lunch — you know the ones? Peanut butter, banana slices, maybe some honey. Sure, they pretty much super glued your mouth shut but they were tasty and filling. To this day something about the combination of banana and peanut butter makes me feel comfy-cozy. Like a warm blanket in food form – does that make sense? No? Nevermind then, carry on.

Anyhoo, I decided to try to incorporate those childhood flavors in a quick bread that even Elvis* would have loved. But instead of incorporating peanut butter into the batter, I added a peanut butter swirl so each flavor remains distinct and every bite is a little different. Plus swirls are pretty. Duh. A slice of this bread is a great start to the day, a perfect mid-morning snack and it can double as after-dinner dessert in a pinch. Though if you bake it in the morning I doubt it will last that long. It didn’t in my house. Enjoy with cup of coffee, tea or, if you’re feeling nostalgic like me, a big glass of milk!

*Elvis loved bananas and peanut butter. Yum. With bacon. Eeew.

Peanut Butter Swirl Chocolate Chip Bread

Author: Close Enough Cook
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 8-10 slices 1x
Category: Bread
Cuisine: American

Description

A homey banana bread that ups the flavor with the addition of chocolate chips and a creamy peanut butter swirl.

Scale

Ingredients

Banana Bread Batter:

1/2 cup butter (room temp.)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

4 bananas mashed*

1.5 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray bread pan with cooking spray.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar for several minutes using mixer with whisk on high setting or hand held mixer until mixture is fluffy and pale yellow.
Add vanilla extract and eggs mixing on medium setting until incorporated.
By hand, mix in mashed bananas until incorporated.
Add flour mixture 1/3 at a time mixing on medium setting just until incorporated.
Add chocolate chips** and mix by hand until incorporated.
Make peanut butter filling: Stir together butter, confectioners’ sugar and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth.
Add half banana bread batter to bread pan.
Using 1/2 of the peanut butter filling, place dollops of filling (approx. a heaping teaspoon) about an inch apart on top of batter.
Top with remaining bread batter, using a spoon or spatula to spread if needed.
With a butter knife, gently swirl peanut butter filling into batter, with the knife tip touching the bottom of the pan.
Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean (some peanut butter swirl may stick to tester even when bread is done), approximately 55 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before removing from pan and cutting into slices.

**You may reserve some chocolate chips to place on top before baking or melt them and drizzle on top of loaf once it has cooled. Both equally pretty and yummy. Who can say no to more chocolate?

Keywords: Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Bread