Name: Chocolate Banana Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4-5 slices
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 super ripe bananas; 1/4 cup (or 4 T) butter, melted; 6 T brown sugar; 1/2 large egg*; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/8 tsp table salt; 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 C flour; 1/4 C cocoa powder

Mini Chocolate Banana Bread

Take banana bread to the next level of deliciousness and make it mini chocolate banana bread instead! This recipe is adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen. The original recipe is divine as is, but a whole chocolate banana bread is just too much for one. Not to mention, I only had two bananas and the original recipe called for three. I used one and a half for this, then ate the other half with my lunch. Plus, I just got some mini loaf pans I was dying to try out! I couldn’t resist. It worked beautifully.

The bread is rich, moist, and chocolatey delicious. I admit I skipped the chocolate pieces. You see, it was supposed to be double chocolate banana bread. However, the chunk of chocolate I had was too cold and hard to break up and I was too lazy to wait for it to soften. And, I wanted banana bread ASAP!

If you want it super-chocolatey go for both and add about 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate. Then you get chocolate chocolate chip banana bread.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Category: Desserts and Treats

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4-5 slices

chocolate banana bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 super ripe bananas
1/4 cup (or 4 T) butter, melted
6 T brown sugar
1/2 large egg*
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 C flour
1/4 C cocoa powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Butter and flour a mini loaf pan (5.75 x3 inches)
Peel the bananas, and use a fork to mash them, in a shallow bowl.
Whisk in the butter, then add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
Mix the dry ingredients (baking soda, salt, cinnamon, flour and cocoa powder) in a small bowl.
Add the baking soda/cocoa mixture to the banana mix.
Stir together until just mixed.
Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. **
The bread is done when a toothpick or skewer comes out dry.
Turn the pan over and turn out the bread. It should pop right out. If not, let it sit for a few minutes and run a knife around the edge to loosen it.

Notes

* Crack an egg open, then pour it into a small bowl or container. Stir it around a bit with a fork. Then pour half into the recipe bowl (with the banana). Save the rest and use it for an omelette or frittata or eggplant parmesan.

** I found that I had to put the pan in sideways (so the wider side was visible) because it tended to tilt between the oven rack slats otherwise. Your mileage may vary.

Tools for Mini Chocolate Banana Bread

Wilton Mini Loaf Pan

I got two of these. They’re about half the size of a normal loaf pan, and just perfect for smaller scale baking. I used them for this chocolate banana bread first. Then, I took my white bread recipe and divided it between the two pans. Voilà, two mini breads instead of one large one! And, they won’t go stale before I can finish them.

The pans also work for other kinds of quick breads and mini meat loaf too. Eat one, freeze the second one. Or, cook once, eat twice.

More Banana Recipes

Banana Smoothie Recipe for One

Easy, refreshing, and not too sweet. A good in-between meal snack you can make in minutes.

Strawberry Banana Yogurt Popsicles

Beat the summer heat with this sweet treat that’s actually good for you. It’s loaded with fruit! And there’s no added sugar either.

Cinnamon Sugar Bananas with Brandy

Whip up an elegant dessert without a lot of work. All you need is bananas, a bit of butter, brandy, and only a touch of sugar.

Strawberry Banana Yogurt Popsicles

I’m told it’s popsicle week this week, and who am I to argue? It’s barely summer but NY has already hit “swelter season.” That means it’s what we call 3H weather: hazy, hot, and humid. Strawberry banana yogurt popsicles are sweet, cold, and have no additional sugar added. They’re the perfect summer treat when the temperature hits “Oh no, you gotta be kidding me!” There’s also no cooking or heating anything involved; ideal when it’s just too warm and sticky to face a hot stove.

All you have to do is measure the ingredients, blend everything together, and then freeze. About 2 hours later, you’ve got a great snack.

I adapted the recipe slightly from one I found online here. The original recipe was for 10 pops, which is way too much. So, I cut it in half. I also used strawberries instead of mixed berries. It’s the height of strawberry season and they are outrageously delicious!

I have a four-pop mold popsicle set, which holds about three ounces each. I’ve had them for years, which is both great and annoying. Great because they’ve held up well; annoying because since the pops all insert into one tray, it’s hard to get only one pop at a time. I’d much rather have something like this, which is designed to make it easier to get one pop out at a time.

Some molds are bigger (or smaller), so the final number of pops you get will depend on the size of the mold you have. If you don’t have a mold at all, you can pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and stick toothpicks in it. That will give you a dozen bite size mini-pops instead.

Berry Banana Yogurt Popsicles

Category: snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: four

strawberry banana yogurt popsicles plate

Just a few ingredients and you get a healthy summer treat. And who can resist strawberry banana popsicles on a hot day? Not me.

Ingredients

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 C whole milk
1 C strawberries (or mixed berries of your choice)
1 small banana
pinch cinnamon

Instructions

Blend everything together in a blender or with a stick blender.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze about two hours.

Notes

The beaker that came with my stick blender wasn't quite big enough, so I poured the mixture into a four-cup liquid measuring cup instead. If you use a standard blender, it should fit just fine.

Also, I put a "cook" time of zero, since there's no cooking, but the pops will take a while to freeze.

Strawberry Banana Yogurt Popsicles Substitutions and Variations

Use blackberries, raspberries, or a combination of berries instead of just strawberries
If you have leftover mixture, add some crushed ice, blend it again, and make a smoothie
Add a splash of vanilla extract and/or nutmeg
Go for some tequila or rum and make adult popsicles (figure roughly one ounce of liquor per five ounces of everything else)

Ozera Reusable Popsicle Molds

This design makes it far easier to get one popsicle at a time. Each mold sits in its own individual slot, so you don’t have to struggle to get just one pop. There’s also a little tiny brush to clean them with. Or, just put them in the dishwasher.

Z Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker

If you really want to get fancy, try out this juice pop maker. Freeze the container ahead of time, then add the ingredients, and you’ll get a tasty frozen treat in just 7 minutes. It doesn’t even need electricity. Note that this will only work with sugar-sweetened pops (not sugar-free or artificial sweeteners).

More Desserts and Treats

One Ingredient Juice Popsicles

My mom used to make these when I was little. They were delicious then, and still are. A healthy, sweet treat that’s great on hot days.

Banana Smoothie Recipe for One

A sweet drink that’s packed with vitamins and potassium, rather than processed sugar. Great for a snack.

Cinnamon Sugar Bananas with Brandy

Treat yourself with an easy dessert that takes very little effort to make. Serve plain or top with chocolate sauce or ice cream.

Strawberry Basil Mojito with Lime

Kick back, relax, and enjoy a refreshing adult beverage. Close your eyes and pretend you’re on a tropical beach, swaying under the palm trees.

Banana Smoothie Recipe for One

A banana smoothie certainly isn’t a complete meal, but this recipe makes a delicious, refreshing drink. It’s perfect with a crisp strawberry and spinach salad on a hot day (yes, we’re back to summer again).

The nice thing about smoothies is that they’re easy and quick to make. It’s also a good way to use up extra bananas. The bunches of bananas look so good in the store, but you get them home, eat a few, and then watch the rest turn brown if you don’t eat them quickly enough. In the winter, I make banana bread, but in the summer I really don’t want to run the oven that long.

So, I make smoothies instead. This time I just used banana, but you could add strawberries or blueberries (it will turn purply though) if you want to.

Sometimes, I take the extra bananas, peel them, and pop them in a bag in the freezer. When you want a quick smoothie, just take out a frozen banana (and reduce the ice in the recipe a bit).

Or, take your banana and drizzle it with chocolate syrup. Instant dessert!

Banana Smoothie for One

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 3 minutes

Category: drink

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 serving

banana smoothie for one

Banana smoothie with yogurt, nutmeg, and cinnamon

Ingredients

1 banana, preferably overripe, cut into chunks
1 handful of ice cubes (about 6-8 small cubes, use less if you have a large tray)
1/4 C milk
1 heaping tablespoon of Greek yogurt
splash vanilla extract
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg

Instructions

Combine banana, ice, milk and yogurt in the beaker that comes with your stick blender(if you have one). If not, use a standard blender.
Pulse until ingredients are blended and the mixture is smooth.
Pour into a glass, add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Notes

If you prefer it without yogurt, add more ice to make it thicker.

More Banana Recipes and Smoothies

Watermelon Slush

Cinnamon Sugar Bananas with Brandy

This lemon mango banana yogurt recipe isn’t mine, but I’ve tried it and it’s delicious. One thing, since I don’t have a food processor (only a mini-chopper), blending the frozen banana is a bit tough. So I did it the other way around (blend first, then freeze).

Cinnamon Sugar Bananas with Brandy

I first saw a cinnamon sugar banana recipe similar to this being passed around on Pinterest. My initial thought was that the combination sounded delicious.

When I took a closer look, it had bananas, cinnamon, sugar, and olive oil spray?! Huh? Sorry, but they lost me there. However the rest of it sounded good, so I decided to put my own spin on it.

First thing I did was to ditch the olive oil spray and replace it with butter. I didn’t use a lot, only one teaspoon. Next I thought a bit of brandy would add flavor and punch, and since I had a tiny bit left I added that too.

I usually buy a bottle of inexpensive brandy for this sort of thing, no sense using something expensive if it’s not necessary. On the other hand, if all you have is top shelf liquor, you won’t need much, so you don’t have to feel guilty about it. And, it will likely taste even better.

So, a little butter, some cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, the banana, brandy, and just a touch of sugar and I had a delicious, easy dessert for one.

It was so good, I wanted to eat it again!

Bananas Sauteed with Cinnamon and Brandy

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 6 minutes

Category: dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: 1 serving

cinnamon sugar bananas

A quick dessert with just a few ingredients. Bananas with cinnamon and brandy feels rich and luxurious, but you don't need a fancy restaurant to enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 banana, sliced
1 tsp butter
pinch cinnamon
small pinch nutmeg
pinch sugar
1 tsp brandy

Instructions

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Once the butter melts, add the banana. Sprinkle the banana with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.
Add the brandy.
Cook for a minute or two, stirring gently to combine the ingredients.
Serve warm.