Eggless Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bread

There are some things I bake because I have planned them, bought the ingredients and carefully set aside an afternoon for the kitchen.

And then there are things I bake because I see three very ripe bananas sitting on the counter.

This  Eggless Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bread belongs firmly to the second category.

Those bananas had reached that rather unfortunate stage where nobody in the house wanted to eat them, but I couldn't bring myself to throw them away. And, as every baker knows, slightly sad-looking bananas often make the happiest cakes.

I could have made my usual banana bread, but that felt a little too sensible.

So I added peanut butter.

And then chocolate chips.

Because once you have added peanut butter, restraint seems rather pointless.

The result was a wonderfully soft, moist banana bread with the familiar sweetness of ripe bananas, little pockets of melted chocolate and that slightly salty, nutty flavour of peanut butter running through it all.

And the best part? It is completely eggless.

Why This Recipe Works

Eggless baking sometimes has an unfair reputation for producing cakes that are either too dense or too dry. This loaf is neither.

The bananas naturally provide moisture and some binding, while thick curd replaces the eggs and gives the bread a beautifully tender crumb. Buttermilk keeps everything soft, and peanut butter adds richness without overwhelming the banana.

Then, of course, there is the chocolate.

I use semisweet chocolate chips because I like the slight bitterness against the sweet banana batter. Every now and then, you cut into the loaf and discover a still-soft pocket of chocolate. Those are invariably the best bites.

The final drizzle of warm peanut butter isn't strictly necessary.

But I strongly recommend being unnecessary.

 The Difficult Part: Waiting

Banana bread is particularly tempting when it is still warm.

The chocolate is melted. The peanut butter is fragrant. The edges have developed that lovely, slightly caramelised crust.

But give it a little time before slicing.

Once it has settled, you get proper thick slices rather than delicious banana-bread rubble.

Although, admittedly, I have eaten the rubble too.

 How I Like to Eat It

A thick slice with coffee is enough for me.

You can warm it slightly so the chocolate becomes soft again, or spread a little peanut butter over a slice if you believe, as I do, that there is really no such thing as too much peanut butter.

It also makes a rather indulgent breakfast, an excellent tea-time cake and a very good answer to the late-night question, Is there anything sweet in the house?

But the best way to eat it is when its out of the oven hot and piping and you eat it with vanilla icecream. I think it would even taste amazing with salted caramel.

Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for about  2 days, or refrigerate it for longer. I actually love warming refrigerated slices for a few seconds before eating them.

 A Note From My Kitchen

I have always liked recipes that begin with ordinary things.

A few bananas nobody wants anymore. A jar of peanut butter in the cupboard. Some chocolate chips waiting to be used.

Nothing elaborate.

And yet, put them together, give them an hour in the oven, and suddenly there is something warm sitting on the kitchen counter that makes everyone wander in asking, What have you baked?

Perhaps that is one of the reasons I love baking.

It doesn't always have to be complicated to feel special.

Sometimes all you need are three overripe bananas, a little chocolate, a generous spoonful of peanut butter—and absolutely no reason to let them go to waste.