Chocolate Banana Bread

I almost always have some ripe bananas in my freezer, so when I open it and see more than 6, I know it’s time to make something with them. This is a chocolaty variation on banana bread that is not too sweet and is relatively low-fat. Yumm!

You will need:

• 1 3/4 c  flour
• 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c buttermilk (easy substitute: stir in 1 T lemon juice to a cup of milk; let sit 5 minutes; stir and use as buttermilk)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 1/2 c mashed bananas (about 3 medium)

Then you…

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan (9×5) with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla.
4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
5. Stir in the mashed banana and pour into prepared pan.
6. Bake 45 minutes to one hour, or until cooked through.