Chocolate Chip Banana Brownies

For a banana-loving/eating family, I am always baffled when I see a brown banana in the fruit bowl. Where do they come from??? And don’t you love how no one will eat them once they show a few signs of age? It drives me craz-zy! On a bright note, it means there is always a good stash of overripe bananas in the freezer whenever I feel like a loaf of banana bread or a nice banana cake with lashings of cream cheese frosting. This Chocolate chip banana brownies recipe came about because of a bit of a glut in the brown banana department in the fruit bowl, plus I hate throwing food away. I much rather try to use things up with my everyday cooking. And so when the weekend rolled around and there were two, rather sad-looking bananas on the bench, I set out to create a fudgy chocolate brownie with a good hint of banana for the school week ahead.

What you are going to love about these chocolate banana brownies

These are the fudgiest of all the fudgy chocolate banana brownies. We’re talking ooey-gooey and oh-so chocolatey! They’re the ultimate sweet treat! and one of my favorite recipes!/p>

Banana and chocolate is a match made in heaven isn’t it? It’s such a childhood flavor combination. But it shouldn’t have to stop at banana splits when you’re 12. Pop these easy banana brownies in your lunchbox for a real lunchtime treat… plus it’s full of fruit so it totally counts as one of your daily serves right?

They are super-duper easy (and relatively quick) to make! Forty-five minutes and you’ll have a tray of delicious, indulgent chocolate and banana brownies. Hello Saturday night dessert!

Here’s a few simple ingredients you need to get started

Butter – I use Lurpak unsalted butter

Pantry staples – plain or all purpose flour, brown sugar.

Dutch cocoa – I always use good quality dutch cocoa powder and pretty much only use dutch cocoa in my baking. I love the richness and intensity of the flavor compared with regular cocoa that is created by the “dutching process” of the cacao beans. This one here is my favorite.

Large eggs – always free-range, at room temperature when there is baking involved!

Vanilla Extract

Over-ripe bananas – I used two average-sized fresh bananas and crushed them with a fork into a rough paste-like consistency. It measured roughly 3/4 cup of mashed bananas.

Chocolate Chips – I am a 70% dark chocolate kinda girl, so I threw in 1/3 cup Callebaut dark chocolate chips for a little added gooey-ness to this easy chocolate chip brownie recipe.

How to make banana brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celcius.
   
   
2. Grease and line with parchment paper a 30cm x 15cm biscotti pan.
   
   
3. In a saucepan heat butter on low heat. When melted, add brown sugar and stir to combine. Set aside and leave to cool for a couple of minutes.
   
   
4. In a  large mixing bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients. Give a gentle whisk to get out any lumps and bumps. Add the butter mixture to the flour bowl. Gently stir in. Add eggs and again, stir to combine.
   
   
5. Add vanilla and mashed banana. Give the mixture a good stir, being careful not to overbeat.
   
   
6. Pour the banana brownie batter into the prepared pan. Smooth over the top of the batter with the back of a spoon to even out the top.
   
   
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
   
   
8. Remove from oven. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan – the longer the brownie is left in the pan, it continues cooking. And we’re looking to make fudgy brownies, so remove it as soon as possible, then leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Essential equipment

Anyone can make regular brownies. All you need is a large bowl, measuring spoons, rubber spatula, baking paper, a square baking pan or biscotti pan, and an oven. That’s it! Which makes it a great recipe for kids who are learning to cook.

Now let’s take this up a notch

Personally, I do like a good slice of brownie for my afternoon tea, BUT, I LOVE serving my brownies up for dessert in a fudgy brownie and ice cream sundae. As teenagers with a smidge of freedom we used to head to this place that did the best brownie sundaes that were big enough for three of us to share – a chocolate lovers dream! My eldest cousin worked there, so there was always someone watching after us, but we didn’t care, we felt so grown up and we loved it! To make a brownie sundae, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a bowl with a brownie square. Go nuts with some toppings. You could add some homemade chocolate ganache or a spoon of dulce de leche, chopped nuts, or banana slices, to make it into the ultimate chocolate dessert

How to store chocolate chip banana brownies

These rich chocolate brownies will keep in an airtight container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

A few more easy recipes for those with a sweet tooth…

• A mid-summer Eton Mess
• Spiced apple cider doughnuts
• Apple & walnut ANZAC crumble

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