There is a joke going around about how I rarely make a recipe without adulterating it -- it's like some sort of compulsion. Another twist on this disorder is that I often research something and combine 3-4 divergent recipes into one dish. Why is cooking sometimes stressful in my world? perhaps because I don't just take on one unknown, but often a few at a time. The results can be either brilliant or catastrophic but it's always an adventure!
My boyfriend left some bananas browning on my counter. He said he'd take them home but kept forgetting. As their age spots started to equal the amount of yellow left on them, I decided to take action. I found a simple foolproof ancient banana bread for the basic chemistry of baking involved and had every intention of keeping to the recipe. But by the time two ingredients were in the bowl, I'd already strayed. Luckily, it turned out brilliant beyond my wildest hopes.
It has a crunchy crust due to the larger stone ground flour I added and the large flakes of toasted coconut which made it chewy/lightly crunchy. I also used up organic chocolate chips that had melted together into an amorphous blob in the heat one day. The chocolate chunks being larger and less consistent than chocolate chips made for bites of crunch and bites of melted, gooey bliss -- almost like a lava cake. I recommend using the graham flour and coconut large coconut flakes I did (available at Natural Food/ Health Food Stores or online) as I believe that really 'made' the texture. Those products are linked in the ingredients list.
Banana Coconut Chocolate Chunk Bread
INGREDIENTS
3 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup graham rustic stone ground whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
6-8 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar or other chocolate that can be smashed into larger chunks
1 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes (I used Bob's Red Mill)
Needed:
1 large mixing bowl
wooden or other mixing spoon
saute pan
hammer or rolling pin to smash up chocolate into rough chunks
METHOD
No need for a mixer. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. In a saute pan melt 1 teaspoon of butter, put in coconut and brown over medium heat. When it starts to get a light yellow glow, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of brown sugar in and toss it over the heat. Remove from heat. Take chocolate bar still in the wrapper, wrap it in a kitchen towel and smash with either another pan, a hammer, or a rolling pin. You want the chunks varied and not too small, about the size of quarters and some nickels would work. Add the flour to the wet mixture in parts and mix. Add the toasted coconut in and the chunks of chocolate and blend. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan by turning over onto another surface or large plate, let cool a bit and slice.
