It feels so, so good to be back in the kitchen and having fun baking & cooking again! I mentioned a couple months ago that one of the things I just had to give up while working to take Stephanie Scholl Events full-time was cooking and baking. I am grateful to be able to work from home now, which means I have (slightly) more time to cook healthier meals – and from scratch – and bake desserts and treats. I love having people over, and hospitality is a passion of mine. And I never like to show up to a dinner party, wine night, or book club empty handed! This recipe for chocolate chip banana bread is one that I’ve used for a few years now, and it’s really simple and really delicious. If you didn’t know already, I like baking that is both simple and tasty! And this recipe doubles really, really easily, so you can share a loaf or two with your friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

adapted from Rachael Ray

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 bananas, mashed

1 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F  & spray a large loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the oil, bananas and eggs. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.

This recipe makes one large loaf, but this recipe can easily be doubled, like I mentioned! It”s a good way to use up mushy bananas, and you can also sub out the chocolate chips, if you really wanted to.