I've got the urge to bake!

One of the greatest barriers to baking is simply having the time.  Time to put it all together and then subsequently to clean it all up.

One fine evening this week I found myself staying in (i.e. TIME), the SO working late, and two very mushy bananas quickly deteriorating in my fridge.

The obvious conclusion was to make banana bread.

Banana bread is inherently fantastic because virtually every recipe you come across does not use dairy!  Banana bread is a lactose intolerant's dream come true.  It's delicious and there's no horrible tummy ache (or head ache in my case) as an after effect.  The bananas provided enough moisture that milk is rendered completely unnecessary.

Since I also keep chocolate chips as a staple in my cabinet, I chose to use the Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar
recipe from Orangette.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar
Serves approximately: 8

Equipment:
Mixer or bowl
Scraper
Mixing spoon if using a bowl
8 inch square pan

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For topping:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.

In the mixer or bowl, mix or mash the bananas well. Add the eggs, and mix well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix on low. Add ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Possible suggestions for tweaking the recipe:
- For some reason the edges of the bread ended up extremely chewy.  I am not exactly sure how I would adapt the recipe though.  I wonder if I over mixed the banana?
- This recipe isn't overly sweet without the chocolate chips, but I'm not convinced I like the texture of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on top.
- I liked being able to use a square pan, but I might try using a loaf pan to see if it makes a difference on cooking time, since mine ended up being in the oven for more like 45-50 minutes.