Recipe - Vegan Chocolate Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

My mom has a killer vegan banana bread recipe that is SO easy. So when I somehow ended up with 10 spotty bananas this week, 9 months pregnant or not, I knew what I had to do. But, what fun is making a recipe that is already on my blog? Well, I had been thinking about turning my mom's banana bread into a chocolate banana bread, so I pulled out my cocoa and bravely gave it a go!

I only did a couple things differently in this recipe to turn the banana bread into chocolate. I added cocoa to the mix and switched my steps so that the cocoa flavor could be brought out by the HOT water. I took a guess on how much cocoa to add, and just upped my oil and water slightly to compensate for the additional dry ingredients. 

The bread came out really delicious! I'm almost wondering if I would up the cocoa a little bit more, next time. I try to think that if I closed my eyes and took a bite if I would REALLY know that it was a chocolate bread and I'm not completely sure. This was my first attempt. It is moist, tasty, chocolaty, and my son and I have been going to town on it. 

Next time, I'll take another risk and do a little more cocoa, or a lot more depending on how brave I'm feeling. Sometimes I google everything, sometimes I just start dumping ingredients into the mix recklessly. Maybe I'll even go a little crazier with the chocolate chips! Either way, I'll keep this recipe updated so that it still comes out looking and tasting great! 

What You Need:

8 medium sized ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 organic canola oil or coconut oil
2/3 cup HOT water
3/4 cup cocoa
4 cups whole wheat pastry flour or any combo or spelt, whole wheat, and part pastry flour
3 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2/3 cups vegan chocolate chips
1 cup whole walnuts

Makes 4 small 4x8" banana breads or 2 large 5x9" banana breads or 24 good sized muffins

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease your bread pans.
Whisk the sugar and the oil together.
Mash the bananas with a fork in a dish.
Add the hot water and cocoa to the mixture. (hot water brings out the chocolately flavor)
Add the mashed bananas and vanilla to the sugar and canola mixture and mix well.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the mixture and mix well.
Chop walnuts to desired size.
Stir in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
Pour your mixture into your greased bread pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean. If you are making muffins, cook for 20 minutes.

I mash up my bananas and I don't really worry about some chunks in there. Chunks taste yummy in the finished bread.

If you have a little kid around, they will usually be happy to help!

Plus, you don't have to worry about licking batter with salmonella eggs, because it's a vegan bread! Go ahead and lick those spoons clean!

Just save room for your bread.

The recipe makes excellent muffins, too. Just cut the cook time in half.

Like my baking cups? They are from Brighid's Kitchen and there will be a post up tomorrow morning where you can WIN some along with an Amazon Gift Card or buy some with a 20% off coupon code.

Enjoy your bread or muffins!!!