Dark Chocolate Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Crumble

Okay, so sometimes it seriously feels like all I ever post for you guys are recipes involving peanut butter and chocolate……… am I completely off the mark on this one or am I overdoing it a little on the peanut butter and chocolate front….??

Hang on a second…. did I just ask if I’m “overdoing it” on the peanut butter and chocolate front??? Scratch that –  and I apologize for asking such a ridiculous question – one could never “overdo it” when it comes to peanut butter and chocolate… am I right?

Phew! I’m so glad we’re on the same page about this, because guess what I have for you lovelies today!? That’s right – yet another peanut butter and chocolate recipe for you to add to your repertoire…. Don’t worry – you can thank me later once you make {and taste} this one ;p

 

Now normally, I wouldn’t make claims like “this is the best banana bread you will ever taste!” However, in this case I’m going to make an exception, and I’ll tell you why with a bit f a short little story.

Alright so, this past Thursday, there was a knock at my door around 5:00pm. Now I know this is sad – but Cole and I pretty much never get visitors, so I was about 100% certain it was going to be a sales man of some sort.  Had Cole been home, he would have told me to just ignore it, but for whatever reason I’m basically incapable of hiding from door to door sales men. Do you have this problem? I don’t know why, but I just can’t do it.

I know people do it all the time no problem, but I just can’t do it. There is just something about door to door salesmen that tug at my heart strings, and make me open the door to them every time. I guess I’m just sympathetic to them because I really do think they have a really, really tough job. I mean honestly, they basically spend their days trying to sell something to people, who really don’t care about what they have to say. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to stay positive in a job like that!? I couldn’t do it.

Anyways – he knocked; I answered; and this is where the story begins…

Truth be told, this guy had to be the coolest door to door salesmen I have ever encountered, and even though I had no interest in the product he was selling – I still had a great time chatting with him.

So about half way through our conversation, he made a comment that the smell of baking coming out of our house was absolutely amazing. I laughed and told him that I do a lot of baking, so my house pretty much always smells like a bakery – but I motioned to this Dark Chocolate Banana Bread sitting out on the counter, and told him that, that was probably what he could smell. He then told me that the banana bread sounded amazing, and then continued on with what he was saying.

So after he had finished his pitch,  I struggled hard to tell him that we weren’t interested at this time {because I’m a people pleaser and It’s almost impossible for me to tell people no}. But luckily he graciously thanked me for my time – like a true champ, I might add – and proceeded to tell me once again how delicious the banana bread smelled before getting ready to leave my front porch.

Now I could have just let him leave, and all would have been well with the world; but before I knew it, I was inviting him into my home for a slice of said Dark Chocolate Banana Bread, complete with Peanut Butter Crumble…

Yep, you heard me right – I invited a complete stranger into my house to enjoy some of my homemade baked goodies… so pretty sure I’m now a textbook example of “what NOT to do” when a stranger comes to your door.

Only now looking back on it, do I realize that it probably makes me sound like a complete crazy person – but at the time I just couldn’t possibly let him leave without first stuffing him full of my homemade banana bread. I told you – I’m a people pleaser, so in my mind this was the absolute least I could do for him, before he returned to the streets to no doubt have his product be denied by all of my fellow neighbours. Does that make me crazy…? On second thought – Don’t answer that one….

So yes; I invited a person I didn’t know – who was trying to sell me a home security system no less {no jokes} – into my house for  slice of banana bread. Oh – and believe me the irony in this situation is definitely not lost on me.

Of course without even the slightest bit of hesitation he said yes – and you know what? Everything was just peachy. In fact we continued to have a nice conversation about my baking, the farmers markets, my blog, and his many failed attempts to make his own homemade banana bread from scratch.

So what exactly is the point to my ridiculous story you ask? Well, after just one bite of a slice of my Dark Chocolate Banana Bread, he proceeded to tell me that it was the “best banana bread he had ever had in his life” and followed up that statement by saying…  “and I’m not just saying that”. Those were his exact words. Now I know they tell you never to trust a salesman… but in this case, I think I will make an exception 😀 LOL!

So there’s my crazy little story for the week, and I hope you enjoyed it; I just really felt like sharing that one, because despite how silly it may sound, it makes me smile every time I think about it.

Seriously though, getting back to this Dark Chocolate Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Crumble situation…  this stuff is da’ bomb; and you should probably make it happen as soon as possible. The banana bread itself is so super moist, and chocolatey that it will have you swooning all on it’s own. And as for that peanut butter crumble…. do I even have to explain? I could just eat the peanut butter crumble on its own with a spoon and be in absolute bliss.

Peanut butter and chocolate lovers unite on this one! Oh and hey – if you won’t take my word for it; take the word of the friendly sales man stranger who recently came to my door ;p

Dark Chocolate Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Crumble

Things you need…

Dark Chocolate Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp espresso powder {optional}
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp buttermilk
2/3 cup chopped dark chocolate chunks

Peanut Butter Crumble
1 tbsp butter, melted
3 tbsp peanut butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon

How to make… 

Peanut Butter Crumble

In a small heatproof bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter together in the microwave until fluid; mix together with a spoon to combine. Add in the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon and stir together until the ingredients are blended together and have formed a thick, crumbly texture. Set aside while you prepare your banana bread batter.

Dark Chocolate banana Bread
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and dust with cocoa powder; set aside.

Peel your bananas and mash with a fork until there are no lumps; set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla and espresso powder and continue to beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often to ensure even blending. Add in the mashed banana, and beat to combine.

Mix together the buttermilk and the baking soda. The acidity in the buttermilk will activate the baking soda and ensure that you get a nice rise on your banana bread. Pour the mixture into your bowl and beat to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to the wet ingredients in two additions and beat until just combined. Add in the chopped dark chocolate chunks and use a spatula to distribute the chocolate into the batter evenly.

Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan. Generously sprinkle the top with the prepared peanut butter crumble, right to the edges and completely covering the top. You will probably have a bit of extra crumble, so just set that aside and use for another project.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, with just a few moist bits clinging to the skewer. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool.

Now you’ve got options here… you can either let it cool completely to room temperature before digging in – or if you’re like me and just can’t stand to wait that long, let it cool for just 30 minutes or so and cut yourself a nice thick slice while it is still warm and serve it up with a nice cold glass of milk….. mhmmmm.

Happy eating lovelies <3 <3

KP xoxo