Chocolate Banana Bread

I had bananas and cocoa in the house so this is what I came up with! :) This pairs well with coffee at breakfast or with tea as a late night snack. 

If I had dark or white chocolate chips, I would have added a handful of those, too! 

Adapted from joyofbaking.com

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ripe bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish (optional):
Turbinado or Demerara sugar (this gives the crust a nice sugary crunch with a touch of sparkle)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the bread with turbinado/demerara sugar. Bake until bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.