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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
Seriously amazing! I didn’t have quite enough honey, so I did put a little sugar in the mix- but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and it was AMAZING! Smelled so good, moist and delicious. Winner recipe! My new “go-to” banana bread! Thanks!
Thank you so much for trying this! I am so glad it turned out so well for you Emily! xTieghan
Ok, so the first time I made this, I only had a tiiiiiiny bit of coconut oil, and had to substitute something else. It was meh. Nothing to write home about. I got some more coconut oil and tried it again, this time using 4-5 old bananas and the coconut oil and WOW. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Even if you’re not a coconut oil fan, use it. You don’t taste it, but it helps give a great texture and moisture to the bread. Don’t substitute! Recipes call for certain ingredients for a reason. Serve warm with some salted Kerrygold butter, and it’s absolutely delish.
Hi Brigit! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for your comment! xTieghan
This is so good! I made it and sliced it thick then grilled the slices on a griddle with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Such a good recipe, moist, perfect texture and Not overly sweet. Love it, definitely saving this one!
Thank you so much Alison! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it turned out so well! I love that it was one bowl and so easy. Two notes:
#1. I poured my oil into measuring cup and then added the honey to take it up to 1/2 cup—it makes it so easy to slip the honey out!
#2. Down here at sea-level (I’m in Vancouver!) this took only 40 minutes at 350F to bake fully—I had set the timer for 50 minutes but it smelled done and I was glad I pulled it.
Great recipe though! I made it with semi-sweet chocolate chips and it was moist and just lightly sweet. Will make again 🙂
Thank you so much Lynn! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this bread today using Bobs Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour. My family ate half the loaf within 15 minutes of it coming out of the oven!
Wow that is so amazing! I am so glad you all enjoyed this Abby! xTieghan
This bread was yummy. Tasted hearty 🙂
I am really glad you enjoyed this Julie! Thank you! xTieghan
I can’t believe how incredibly moist this loaf was! I used the batter in my mini loaf pan from pampered chef. I baked for 30 min and they turned out perfect. I also added ground flaxseed to the recipe for added fibre boost.
Thank you so much Gillian! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Good morning! Beautiful book and Instagram, and great recipes-thank you so much! I don’t have a comment, but I do have a question. Can you tell me a good way to ripen my bananas until they are black (my grocery store does not keep the over-ripe ones), where I could suppress the smell? I am very sensitive to odors (some give me migraines), and I don’t have a separate spot to keep them while they turn. Any tricks or tips? Thank you so much in advance. I can’t wait to try this bread!! Your bread/pizza dough is amazing, and so is your recipe for Naan! Have a great Wednesday! ❤️
Hey Becky! Have you tried putting the bananas in a brown paper paper bag? That will help them ripen and help to not release any odors too! Please let me know if you have any other questions. hope this helps! Thank you!! xTieghan
Delicious and so simple. I didn’t have any chocolate chunks/chips on hand, so I used Hershey’s cinnamon baking chips instead. ?
Ooo yum!! I am so glad you liked this Denise!! xTieghan
Hi!! Hoping to make this tomorrow, do you know how it would be without the chocolate chunks?
Hi there! The bread works great without the chocolate. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
this is so good!! super easy and minimal dishes make it even better! we didn’t have enough honey so I used maple syrup instead and I sprinkled shredded coconut on top which toasted up as it baked in the oven. will definitely make this again and again!
Hi Alissa! I am so glad this bread turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Thank you for the recipe, my kids love banana bread. I made this recipe last night. I loved the texture of the bread but felt it needed a little more sweetness to it, I may add more honey to it next time.
Thank you so much Melissa! I am so glad this recipe turned out well for you! I hope you love it more with some added honey! xTieghan
This is an amazing recipe! Thanks! Even though I changed a couple of things, it was delicious! I only had 1 1/2 cups bananas so I added a chopped up apple (that needed to be eaten!). Then I baked the batter in a muffin tin (10 muffins) for 30 minutes. Yum!!!
Thank you so much Karla! That is so great that it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Too.much.chocolate. No bananas! It’s all chocolate;/ not what I was hoping for… if I did it again? I’d cut the chocolate chips in half… If not by 2/3.
Hi Kristen! I come from a household where the more chocolate, the better haha! If you don’t enjoy it as much or want more of the banana bread flavor feel free to reduce it or leave it out! It still tastes amazing! Thank you! xTieghan
I live in Colorado as I know you do. Do I need to adjust your recipes for altitude?
Hi Marion! You don’t need to make any adjustments. This bread should bake up perfectly for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan