Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
I am a rhubarb addict! I love it! I can eat it raw with just some sugar and be happy. I know I am not alone – admit it. People at work know this too, so the other day I had a co-worker bring me a huge shopping bag of rhubarb that was from their garden. All I could think of was, what should I make with all this rhubarb. I love strawberry rhubarb pie but I wanted something different. As I was looking for ideas I came across Sassy Radish’s blog and saw a great rhubarb strawberry banana bread recipe. I could not think about anything else but thought that if strawberries and bananas go together, and if strawberries and rhubarb go together, then won’t rhubarb and banana go well together? They should right? And what if you add some chocolate chips to the mix. I was right – lets just say that I should have made two loaves one for me and one for my co-worker who brought all the rhubarb. Now I just have to figure out what else I should make for my co-worker as a thank you for all the rhubarb because the loaf is gone in my belly.
Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Yield: 1 loaf (9x5")
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups rhubarb chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cups sugar, divided
2 cups (9 ounces; 254 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Position the oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, stir together the rhubarb with 1/2 cup of sugar. Set aside while you prepare the bread batter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt, until fluffy and well-combined.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until light and creamy, about 8 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs on at a time, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl between additions. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.
Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture in two parts, and, with the mixer on low speed, stir just until just combined. Gently fold in the rhubarb and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Scoop the batter out into the baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake around 1 hour and 10 minutes (mine took 1 hour and 20 minutes) and the top of the bread is a deep golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. You should feel the top of the bread and it should show some resistance to your touch.
Allow the bread to cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before running a knife around the perimeter of the bread to disengage it from the loaf pan. For best results, allow to cool overnight (or for the rest of the day) upside down, uncovered. The bottom might get soggy otherwise, and this way you preserve your banana bread’s nice crust.
For best results, store loosely draped with a kitchen towel. Wrapping your banana bread in plastic or foil will result in gummy texture.
Adapted from: Sassy Radish
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