I feel like I’ve tested this recipe countless times over the past couple of days in an attempt to get it just right, so now I can safely say that this is the BEST chocolate and walnut banana bread recipe that I’ve tried! It’s everything that would want a banana bread to be: moist, yet fluffy at the same time, delicately sweet, crisp around the edges and laden with oozing chunks of melted dark chocolate and crunchy walnut pieces!
Why you should make chocolate walnut banana bread?
Banana bread baking seems to have been more popular than ever during this lockdown period and I can see why. They’re super quick and simple, one bowl recipes with little intricacy required. They’re sweet, delicious and also highly customisable. As well as being the ideal (slightly indulgent) snack, breakfast or dessert! The recipe is also both dairy and gluten free, made with oat flour and coconut oil. You can check out loads more of my banana bread recipes here!
What’s in chocolate & walnut banana bread?
- Bananas: a very obvious one I know. You’ll need two really ripe bananas for this recipe which provide natural sweetness and moisture to the cake.
- Coconut oil: this recipe calls for coconut oil as the replacement for butter. It’s subtle hint of sweet coconut flavour pairs perfectly with the bananas and helps to create a really moist texture.
- Oat flour: this is my favourite GF flour of choice and is easily made at home by blitzing up some oats in a blender. You’ll need 150g of oat flour, as well at 45g of oats for the ideal consistency.
- Dark chocolate & Walnuts: these are the stars of the show her. They really make this recipe stand apart from your regular banana bread, adding little bites of crunch and indulgent melted chocolate to each mouthful.
What you’ll need:
Again, this is another one of my favourite kinds of recipe. Simple, fuss free, one bowl method that you can prep in 15 minutes or less and leave to work its magic in the oven. The only things you’ll require for this recipe are:
- Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon
- Loaf tin lined with baking paper
The Best Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 150 g unrefined caster sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 or 240 g ripe bananas
- 75 g slightly melted, but not liquid coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 150 g oat flour
- 45 g oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp bicarb
- Pinch sea salt
- 40 g chopped dark chocolate
- 30 g roughly chopped walnuts
- 1 banana for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and coconut oil until they appear light and fluffy. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Mash the bananas thouroughly with the back of a fork and mix these into the wet ingredients.
- Fold through the dry ingredients, then stir in your walnuts and chocolate chunks to evenly distribute.
- Transfer the banana bread batter into your loaf tin, then slice the remaining banana lengthways and place this on top. Bake for around 45-50 minutes until golden. To check your banana bread is cooked thorugh, peirce with a skewer and if it's clean on removal, you're done!
- Allow to cool on a wire wrack before slicing.
