Holiday Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Tis' the season for gift giving and showing you care. Why not gift something that is delicious & low waste? Believe me, one taste of this decadent bread & nothing will be left behind. I've been gifting these yummy breads for years and I always get the same response....when can I get more??? I will also be sharing how I packaged & decorated these breads with compostable packaging! And make sure to save a loaf for your family! Smelling all the spices baking up & not having a taste is sheer torture. Just ask my hubby & kids. Lessoned learned.

Baking gifts is also a tradition in our family. There is a reason I do this. I want my kids to see the value of a gift past the monetary value. Someone thought about you & wants to appreciate you. Making something homemade & heartfelt is just as valuable as a store bought gift. By making gifts, the kids see the time and effort that goes into the gift. They help me shop for the ingredients, & remember who loves chocolate and who hates nuts. They also design the packaging for the gift. They are becoming thoughtful humans. My hope is that when my kids receive ANY gift that they are appreciative. Believe me, we still mix in store bought gifts too. Gift cards are fabulous! Teaching them that both types of gifts are valuable is my main goal.

I like to make a large batch of these breads because I'm giving them out to lots of friends. I might as well do the same amount of work and get more out of it. These breads freeze beautifully, so extras to enjoy later are a plus. Keep in mind, this recipe makes about 4 loaves in 8 x 4 pans. If you don't want that many you can always half the recipe. I adapted this recipe from a Food Network banana bread recipe. It was a great basic recipe and I added my take on it.

Ingredients for Holiday Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

4 eggs

6 ripe bananas

2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 cups milk chocolate chips (keep about 1 cup for topping)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease 4 8x4 pans

2. In a large bowl cream sugar and butter. Add eggs till well combined

3. In another bowl, mash bananas & mix in heavy cream, vanilla & spices.

4. In another large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Whisk together till well combined.

5. Add banana mixture to the sugar/butter mixture and stir till well combined. Gradually stir in dry ingredients just till combined. Do not over beat. ( I usually hand stir this in) Stir in chocolate chips.

6. Pour batter into greased pans & top with chocolate chips set aside.

7. Bake for about 1 hour or until knife comes out clean. If the tops brown fast, cover with foil & continue baking.

8. Let cool for 15 min. & carefully invert on a baking rack to continue cooling.

These also bake well as mini loaves! I got this Wilton mini loaf pan from a thrift store & I absolutely love it! I still bake the mini loaves at 325 degrees but for only 20 minutes. How cute are they???

Need zero waste holiday packaging ideas??? Click here to see how I packaged these breads in completely compostable packaging. It's not only beautiful, but it's a great way to package all of your gifts this holiday!