comfort food: peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread

     Everyone knows what comfort food is. Some comfort foods are universally agreed upon (mac and cheese, anyone?) and others are comforting on a much more personal level.

     Some of my favorite comfort foods are sunny side up eggs with buttered toast, pierogies fried in butter and sprinkled with sugar, and american grilled cheese on wheat bread. These foods aren't necessarily the healthiest, though they remind me of childhood in the best way! If we're gonna talk about comfort sweets, however...my number one is banana bread.

     The origins of banana bread becoming my #1 comfort sweet are varied, but I've narrowed it down to a few key points.

​     For starters, my favorite cereal as a kid was banana nut crunch. I realize that is strange for a kid, but I absolutely loves those nutty banana-y clusters! And I wasn't alone, my brothers quite enjoyed it, too.

     I also have very fond memories of my mom baking. Thanks to her, I've eaten more pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, and - you guessed it - banana bread, than most people have...probably. Whether or not that statement is true, it doesn't change the fact that I ate a lot of it!

​​     And finally, once I lived on my own away from home I found a banana bread recipe that I adored. It was simple, cheap, and comforting. Still to this day it is my go-to recipe for classic banana bread. Over the years I have transformed the recipe into many variations of my own. This recipe is one of them. The combination of white and brown sugar gives the crust a perfect chewy crunch. The peanut butter and chocolate chip combination ties together yet another one of my comfort sweets with this one. And the peanuts on top make it feel just a little more sophisticated and adult-like while still being appealing to kids. 

​     You never know...maybe this will become one of your favorite go-to comfort sweets!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 60-75 minutes
Yields: 1 9x5-inch loaf

You Will Need:

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup peanut butter and chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
• nonstick cooking spray or extra canola oil 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.
2. In a large bowl, mash your bananas if you haven't already (just make sure you have 1 cups-worth). Add eggs, both sugars, and oil and stir until combined. Be sure that you break up any clumps of brown sugar.
3. Add flour mixture to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Add peanut butter and chocolate chips and gently fold into the batter.
4. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, or pour a little bit of canola oil in and spread around with a paper towel. Pour batter into the pan and smooth out any air bubbles on top.
5. Sprinkle the peanuts on top of the batter. Place loaf pan in oven and bake for 60-75 minutes. It will be done when you can stick a toothpick or cake tester in the middle and it comes out clean. 
6. Take out of the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan. Slice and serve. May be kept at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 4-5 days. Enjoy!