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The best and (easiest) Chocolate Chunk Coconut Banana Bread…for your Friday chocolate fix. One bowl, pantry staple ingredients, super quick to mix up, healthy…ish, and SO DELICIOUS! Yes, that pretty much sums up this banana bread, and it’s the perfect bread to bake up this weekend. With over-ripe bananas, good honey, and your favorite chocolate bar, this is sure to become one of your favorite banana bread recipes. Perfect for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or a late night dessert.
This past week all I’ve wanted to do is bake. I”m sure the very cold temperatures and snowy weather have something to do with this. Regardless, I really just want to bake. And if I’m not baking, I’m making homemade pizza in the pizza oven. Which is currently my very favorite thing to do, I can’t get enough pizza (new recipes are coming).
Or banana bread.
Clearly my “Healthy January” is going soo well…
In all honesty, I’ve found this year’s “Healthy January” to be a little tougher than in years past. I’ve had to really scratch my head to brainstorm “healthy” recipes over the last few weeks.
You see, I am very much craving warm comfort food…
Celery juice on the other hand? Not so much. Don’t get me wrong, I actually love celery juice. But it’s cold, and just not what I want to sip on a white blustery January day, you know?
Instead of denying those cravings, I tried to make my favorite cozy recipes a little on the healthier side. It’s all about balance over here, no diets, at least not temporary ones. Just creating recipes that are delicious and wholesome. Which is where this banana bread comes in. Yes, it has honey. And yes, my dark chocolate chunks are not 100% cacao. But hey, this bread is made with whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and plenty of overripe banana. All healthy things, especially when it comes to the dessert world. So, I’m going with it, and very excited to be sharing today’s recipe. Just in time for the weekend too!
PS. have you tried celery juice? I know it sounds odd, but I recently tried some (because of this book) and it’s actually so good.
Moving on to the details. This is the best and easiest banana bread I’ve ever shared. It’s my go-to…that is until I develop a newer version in .02 seconds, and that becomes my favorite. Ahh, the life of someone who makes up recipes for a living. We always have a new “favorite”.
Seriously though, this banana bread is moist, very banana-y, hinted with coconut, sweetened lightly with honey, and swirled with chocolate throughout. Every last bite is roll your eyes back delicious. Best part? It’s the easiest to make, requiring just one bowl and a handful of pantry staples.
Here’s the quick run down.
Find yourself some very ripe bananas, I’m talking practically black bananas everyone. Like, you think they are too black to eat? Nope, that just means they are perfect for banana bread. Use them.
Mash up the bananas and then mix with the wet ingredients, a little coconut oil, honey, a couple of eggs, and a splash of vanilla. Add whole wheat flour, a pinch of cinnamon, and a dash of salt. The cinnamon is that unexpected ingredient that might seem a bit off, but it’s actually what makes the bread really good. It’s subtle enough that you can’t really tell it’s there, but it adds a special touch.
Now stir in all the chocolate chunks that your heart desires. Bake, and less than an hour later your house is going to smell incredible, and you’ll have the prettiest deep golden, and chocolate filled loaf of banana bread.
Great for breakfast, delicious as an afternoon snack, and chocolatey enough for an evening dessert.
The perfect recipe, right?
If you can resist, you should wait 30 minutes or so to slice into the bread. That way the bread will have time to properly set-up and fully finish baking after coming out of the oven. Waiting is what any professional baker would tell you to do, but let’s be real, no one cares what you should do. Do what your stomach and your eyes are screaming at you to do. Slice the bread and enjoy it warm while the chocolate is gooey.
It might not be what you should do, but it’s the right thing to do. That I am sure of.
Oh, and major bonus points if you enjoy this with a little smear of butter and a drizzle of honey. It’s Friday, live a little. AND if you happen to have a snowy weekend in the forecast, you really need to bake this up. It’s great any day, but it’s best enjoyed on the coldest of days.
If you make this chocolate banana bread be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
chocolate chunk coconut banana bread_WEB from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
Chocolate Chunk Coconut Banana Bread
Servings: 9
Calories Per Serving: 356 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 medium overly ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cup mashed)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch bread pan.2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks. 3. Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until center is just set. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting...or just eat it warm with a smear of butter and a drizzle of honey (you should do this!). Enjoy!
Notes
Bread will keep (covered) for 3-5 days.
This post was originally published on January 25, 2019
This looks delicious! I only have 00 flour at the house from making pizza, will that work okay in this?
Hi Julia,
Yes this will work. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My new all time favorite banana bread! This will forever be my go to recipe. Sweet and moist just perfect!!!
Thank you Melanie!! xTieghan
Hey 🙂
I am planning on making this today but my bananas aren’t overly ripe. Do you know a trick to make them brown and sweet fast, maybe in the microwave? 😀
Or do you think it will taste good even if my bananas aren’t as soft and sweet as they actually should be?
Thanks for your help! I LOVE every recipe on your blog and I think they are the reason my boyfriend fell in love with me 😀
Hi Maike! You can put them in the oven to help ripen them faster. Do they have brown spots on them at all? Because if so they should still work well, you just need to mash them more! Please let me know! xTieghan
PS: Haha I am glad you are liking my recipes, but your boyfriend definitely fell in love with the person you are!!
Is there anyway to sub the honey for granulated sugar? I really want to make this today, I just don’t have enough honey! ?
Hi Emily! Yes you can use granulated sugar! I would use 1/4 cup! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Perfection! Just the right amount of sweetness and not too oily like some banana bread recipes. Subbed GF flour mix. The entire loaf was gone in one day. Thank you!
Wow that is so great! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Deanna! xTieghan
I just made this! Love it. Really tasty and easy to make! I didn’t have coconut oil, so I substituted butter. Also I didn’t have a 9×5 pan, so I used an 8×8 and cooked for a shorter time! Still turned out delicious! Thanks!
Thank you so much! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Thank you for this recipe! It was delicious! I added a scant half cup of sweetened coconut as I really wanted to thin out my freezer. It was terrific. As I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour, I used half white whole wheat and AP.
Amazing! I am glad this one ended up turning out so well for you Rosella! xTieghan
Oh, I also used baking powder instead of the baking soda (same amount as in recipe) and still turned out perfect.
Turned out excellent! So easy to make, does not require more than the one bowl and the measuring cup, and smells and tastes amazing!
I did substitute the 1/4 cup coconut oil with 1 stick unsalted butter, though.
Hi Mir! I am glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
So yummy and not too sweet (just the way I like it). Bonus points for a recipe that I have everything on hand to make, no grocery trip required!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Haley! No grocery store trip is the best right now! xTieghan
Hello! I don’t have coconut oil but still want to make this and was planning on using butter. I want a coconut taste though so what could I use for that?
Hi Brooke,
You could add some shredded coconut to get the flavor. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I made this yesterday and it was unreal!!! I added a bit of shredded to coconut to the top and batter but otherwise didn’t change anything and it was absolutely delectable. Thank you for yet another great recipe!
Thank you so much Heather! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Can I sub flax eggs ???
Hi Tina! I have not tried this recipe with flax eggs, but I have heard they work well in recipes! If you try it, let me know! Thank you! xTieghan
Hello! I made this last night and it was eaten up by my kids by the time I returned home today. Absolutely fantastic. This is now my most favorite banana bread recipe. I made it with melted butter, I was out of coconut oil and I have to say I will make it with butter every time. It was moist, perfectly sweetened and wonderfully chocolaty. I am a Colorado native and I am so glad you share your craft with us, thank you!
Thank you so much Thomene! I am so glad you have been enjoying my blog and recipes! xTieghan
Wow! I’ve just made this and it is delicious. My first banana bread ever but not the last! I’ve used sugar instead of honey and butter instead of coconut oil because we’re in lockdown and it’s what I had. Thanks for such a great recipe 🙂
Hi Maria! That sounds amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan