Chocolate Peanut-Butter Banana Bread

I was distraught at a lack of chocolate chips and walnuts in my cupboard and decided to use cocoa and peanut butter in my banana bread instead. This is the first draft of that recipe, synthesized from several sources, primarily the Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, which you can find at all discerning libraries.


Equipment:

oven
9x5 bread pan
2 large bowls
whisk or fork
spoon or spatula


Ingredients:

3 large or 4 small very ripe bananas

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour (I used 3/4 cup whole wheat, 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/4 cup wheat germ)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease (or line with foil) a 9x5 bread pan.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Thoroughly mash the bananas with a fork in another large bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients together with the mashed bananas.

Fold in the dry ingredients until most of the dry is combined with the wet. Do not overbeat or the bread will be heavy.

Immediately pour batter into pan and place in oven. Set a timer for 50 minutes. If an inserted toothpick or knife comes out moist place pan back in the oven for five to ten minutes. Cool on rack; remove from pan after 10 minutes and continue to cool on rack. Wait to cut until completely cool, or the bread will crumble.


Variations:

*use muffin tins (greased or lined) and bake for 18 minutes

*for healthier banana bread, halve the sugar and omit the vegan butter, increasing the apple sauce to 1/3 cup

*for less healthy banana bread, add 1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips, i.e., Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

*for regular banana bread, omit the cocoa and peanut butter, and increase the vegan butter to 1/2 cup and apple sauce to 1/3 cup (optionally, you may add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup each raisins and crushed walnuts)