The weather turned suddenly chilly here this weekend, which put me in the mood for baking. Happily having all the ingredients on hand, I decided to try a recipe for Bourbon Banana Bread with Pecans and Dark Chocolate that I’d seen on the blog A Bitchin’ Kitchen.
The recipe doesn’t specify a bourbon. I turned to Maker’s Mark, as I often do when baking (sometimes I even add it to the food, ha ha). Its sweet flavor profile, with lots of vanilla and caramel, works well in quick breads.
Look at all those dark chocolate chips!
The final product cools on the wire rack. Dense and rich, this bread won’t last long!
Here’s the recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
(Note: I used 2 cups of self-rising flour, which eliminates the need for baking powder and salt.)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. (Skip this step if using self-rising flour.)
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, and beat between each addition for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat in mashed bananas, lemon juice, and bourbon until fully incorporated.
Add in the flour mixture all at once, and slowly mix in until just combined. Fold in pecans and chocolate with a rubber spatula. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-65 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean (don’t mistake a banana chunk for raw batter and over-bake it!)
Cool bread in pan for 25 minutes before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely.
Check out A Bitchin’ Kitchen, which is written by two sisters, here.
