Next Post
Beer Cheese Soup with Chili Spiced Chex.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
Absolutely delicious banana bread and all without refined sugar! The measurements work out perfectly for me and the bread comes out super nice and moist every time. Would absolutely recommend! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thank you for trying it! I am glad it turned out so well for you Katie! xTieghan
Amazing! So easy and comes out perfect! Can’t wait to try more recipes! I’m obsessed with halfbakedharvest!
Thank you so much Katie!! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
This is so good..I had to slightly alternate the recipe due to lockdown. Had half of the amount of bananas needed so used half of all measurements and made banana-choc muffins instead! Turned out to be 6 small ones. Just replaced all-purpose flour & baking soda with self-raising flour and voila! De-lish!
Thank you so much Sofia! I am so glad you enjoyed this one! xTieghan
This is delicious!!!! Had a few ripe bananas that I was about to throw away. I’ve been following the Instagram page and run into this recipe. I skipped over it: I’m definitely NOT a baker, and I’ve ruined so many baking recipes that I’ve tried over the years. I ran into the recipe again, and the bananas were still on my counter. Since we’re in quarantine I say “What the heck. I can at least try.” Not only was it easy to follow… it turned out delicious!! Both my kids had questionable faces as I was mixing the recipe. When the aroma filled the house and everyone came out from hiding and could not resist eating it!! If I can make this bread, YOU can definitely make it too!!
Hi Mariela! I am so glad you decided to try this and it turned out so well for you! Thank you! xTieghan
I made it but I think I over baked mine. I followed recipe baked for 50 mins, I took it out right away and place it on a plate. I baked mine in a breville toaster oven though. Any suggestions on how long should I bake it for? Thanks! Other than over baking it I like the recipe.
Hi Wil,
So sorry about this! Next time I would highly recommend not using a toaster oven. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do yourself a favor and make this! I’m normally skeptical of the “no sugar” recipes but the honey makes the bread the perfect sweetness. I baked my bread for 60 minutes and it is a beautiful golden brown.
Thank you so much Simone! xTieghan
So easy and delicious!!! I added walnuts 🙂
Thank you so much Taylor! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Mine turned out very dark brown instead of typical banana bread color – used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 cup APF. Sweetener was 1/4 cup honey and I added 1/4 cup white sugar because you know…. sugar.
What you think went wrong with color?
Hi Kala,
The addition of the sugar could have caused the darkness in your bread. So sorry about this!
Made this today with frozen blueberries and it was perfect. Thank you for the great recipe!!
Thank you so much Olivia! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi! I only have 3 bananas. Would you recommend still giving this recipe a try? Would you make any adjustments? Was thinking of adding a 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt.
Hi Liz,
I would leave everything the same and just use the 3 bananas, you should be totally fine!
I had a few overripe bananas on hand and wanted to make a knockout banana bread. Then I opened up Instagram and the FIRST post on my feed is HBH banana bread! It was a sign. I quickly whipped up this recipe and oh my gosh, it is most definitely the best banana bread I’ve ever had! It is moist, with lots of banana flavor, and you don’t feel totally guilty eating it with the healthier ingredients! My husband loved it and keeps asking everyday when I’ll make more! We also shared with our neighbor who was also a huge fan. Will definitely be making this again! Thank you!
Haha that is such a sign!! I am so glad you tried this and it turned out so well Laura! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Loooove all your recipes! Wanted to check if I could substitute the baking soda for baking powder and what the ratio would be? Many thanks Lize
Hi Lize,
I have not tested this, but I would recommend using 1 1/2 teaspoons. Hope this helps!
I’m gf. I have all sorts of flour-oat, almond, bobs red mill gf flour, arrow root. Any suggestion? Would love to make with my 4 year old tomorrow!
Hi Sara! for best results I recommend using a GF flour blend or mixing your GF flours together to make your own blend. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Sorry. I forgot to rate the recipe! Definitely 5 stars. I will make this every time I have bananas!
Made this! Actually I made muffins instead of a loaf but delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe my dear! I found my happy place. xoxo Iris
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Iris! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan