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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
I am out of honey but I have maple syrup, brown sugar, and agave syrup. Which do you think would be the best substitute for honey?
Hey Lynn,
I would use maple syrup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I only had 2 overripe bananas so I halved the recipe and used a muffin tin instead of a loaf pan. The muffins came out perfectly cooked after 20 minutes, and I made 9 of them (again, from just using half of the recipe). I have made 3 other banana bread recipes during quarantine (none of the others have been HBH), and I can sincerely say that this has been my favorite so far. Not too dense yet still moist, I will absolutely make these again. Thank you, Tieghan!
Thank you, Blayre! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this morning with some very ripe bananas that it was either bin or bake with them! So glad the banana bread won! Banana bread is something that is very popular in New Zealand and Australia but I have to say this was the nicest one I have made! I would definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Aw that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this, Jane!! xTieghan
Any suggestions about how to keep the entire bread moist? I have made this numerous times! My children and husband love it ( I make it weekly) but I feel like the two ends are very dry and not as moist to eat. I have been cooking on convection oven so I think I will try traditional today and see if that makes a difference. And maybe pull out a little early? Any suggestions?
Hey Christine,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I am wondering if it is getting over baked? Try to cut down on the baking time a bit:) I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
I just made this and it’s super yummy! I also love your zucchini almond butter chocolate chunk bread. The only thing is that I feel like I can taste the baking soda just slightly. Is there anything I can do to minimize that? I make sure to whisk the flour, salt and baking soda well before adding to the other ingredients. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all your yummy recipes! I’m going to try your enchilada rice skillet tonight for dinner. Can’t wait to try it!
Hey Mel,
Thanks for giving the recipes a try. The only thing I can think of that would be causing you to taste the baking soda is the expiration date. Is it still good? Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this recipe but with olive oil. So moist and the perfect balance of sweetness with the dark choc chips! Will definitely become a go-to recipe for me 🙂
Thank you Ariana! xTieghan
Maybe you could also add the metric measures to your recipes? That would be great ❤️
Hi! I don’t use metric measurements, so it is a bit hard for me… I will try! xTieghan
This is so good!
Thank you Nancy! xTieghan
This recipe is insanely good and one of the best things I’ve ever made. I doubled it and it worked out just fine.I will definitely be making this one again!
Thank you so much Dina! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
Hi! We just moved to Denver and I love this recipe. Do you recommend making any adjustments for the altitude? Still trying to nail down the baking here 😉 Thanks!
Hi Kendall! My recipes should work great for you! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with! Always here! xTieghan
My husband is gluten free & I have nearly every gf flour in my pantry — would you recommend any gf flour/combination to make this recipe gf? Thanks!
Hey Alyssa,
I would use an equal amount of your favorite gf flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This bread is so luxurious and decadent!! Like having dessert for breakfast.
Thank you so much! xTieghan
Damnit girl! This was another winner. I’ve never made banana bread before, and I’m so happy I found this. I made it in a muffin form and it was lovely. I had two large banana that I used that were ripe but not overly ripe. It was super moist and absolute perfection.
Love that!! Thank you so much Rachel! xTieghan
Made this last week. DELISH!! Substituted olive oil for the coconut oil and it was still good! Great recipe 🙂
Thank you so much Ashley!! xTieghan
this recipe is so delicious ! and super easy to make ! thanks for the recipe !! i’ll definitely be making this again !
Thank you so much Emma! xTieghan