Double Chocolate Banana Bread - could be gluten free

Found this recipe recently when I was looking to bake for gift during the holiday season. Yeah..this posting was a bit late. But hey, one can enjoy banana bread anytime of the year. Especially one that was this good. Seriously.

Thanks to Lindsay for her recipe. I swapped the all purpose flour with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1to1 Baking Flour to make it gluten free. The result was good and I love it. I made this three times already for gift.

Yield : 1 loaf (10-12 servings)

Ingredients :
1 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1to1 Baking Flour
1/2 cup dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (optional for less sweet)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cacao nibs, for topping (optional)




Directions :
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper (cut a 9-inch wide strip of parchment and press it into the pan, covering  the bottom and sides, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang on the long edges; it's ok if the short ends are left unlined so long as they are buttered).

When I used the disposable aluminum loaf, I didn't use the parchment paper and it came out very clean. Just the butter did the job.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Mash bananas in a bowl until mostly smooth . You should have about 3/4 cup. Whisk in eggs, then add sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Finally whisk in butter.

Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and whisk until just incorporated and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with cacao nibs if desired. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a long skewer or thin metal knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire cooling rack and let cool to lukewarm. To remove, run a thin metal spatula along the short (unlined) sides of the pan. Use the overhanging parchment to gently lift the entire loaf out of the pan and place on a cutting board to slice and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.