Moist Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread Recipe
Banana bread recipes are one of those ubiquitous foods that fits right in with any season, and can be baked, seasoned and spiced with a variety of flavors. The time is never wrong to mix up this Moist Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread Recipe. Swirled with chocolatey hazelnut and iced with a homemade peanut butter caramel drizzle this loaf cake is pure indulgence.
If you are looking for instructions on how to make banana bread? And you want to give it an indulgent, elegant makeover you are in the right place! The “use up the overripe, mushy, brown bananas” standard simple banana bread recipe gets a decadent makeover here, with the addition of toasted hazelnuts and smooth milk chocolate.
Some Simple Banana Bread Recipe Tips:
A smooth, glossy, peanut butter flavored caramel icing is drizzled over this finished recipe for banana bread, elevating this oven baked loaf from bread to dare I say, banana cake? Make this swirled chocolate nut banana bread in your kitchen and prepare to indulge yourself!
Swirling the chocolate and hazelnuts throughout the batter creates a stunning marbled effect, and my technique is extremely simple to follow. It will look like hours were spent baking this simple banana bread recipe, but really the ingredients come together quickly.
Chocolate chips are used for the hazelnut swirl base, but you can always use a chopped chocolate bar if you don’t have the chocolate chips on hand in your pantry. Speaking of pantries, I always make sure to use a good, reliable flour for any baking and cooking applications, King Arthur Flours was a staple in my family home growing up and still is to this day.
3 Other Uses for This Moist, Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe:
- You can use this chocolate banana recipe as a base for a “banana split” Sundae dessert, top a slice of warmed bread with ice cream, chopped nuts and whipped cream.
- Cut up the banana bread and use as the cake base for a layered trifle dessert with slices of bananas, vanilla pudding and whipped cream.
- Simply toast and slather with peanut butter or plain butter whenever you’re craving a quick snack.
TIP* Toasting the nuts really brings the sweetness of the hazelnuts out and makes it much easier to grind them down to a course, even texture. This ensures even baking of the chocolate and hazelnuts that are swirled throughout the banana bread batter prior to baking.
Storing Your Moist Chocolate and Hazelnut Banana Bread Recipe:
- This banana bread recipe will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer.
- If you wish to store your banana bread in your freezer; wrap in plastic wrap and store for up to 2 months.
- To defrost banana bread: uncover and let the bread unfreeze for 2 hours before serving. DO NOT REFREEZE BREAD.
Moist Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Electric Mixer
Ingredients
Banana Bread with Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl
- 1 Cup Hazelnuts Shelled
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- ¾ Tsp Baking Soda
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Butter Unsalted, Room Temperature
- â…“ Cup Greek Yogurt Plain, Whole Milk
- 1½ Cup Bananas about 3, Mushy, and Slightly Browned
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips Semi-Sweet
Peanut Butter Caramel
- â…“ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Butter Unsalted
- 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter Creamy
- 2 Tbsp Whole Milk
Instructions
Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl Banana Bread
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Spread hazelnuts evenly across pan and toast in oven for 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the nuts as they go from nicely roasted to burnt if left unattended.
- Once the hazelnuts are toasted remove the pan from oven and set aside to cool.
- Grind the cooled nuts in food processor until you have a course even texture. Put the nuts to the side for now and get started on your banana bread batter
- In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk togther.
- In a large bowl cream sugar and butter together with a mixer set to medium speed. Add in banana, egg, Greek yogurt. Mix with electric beater until blended.
- Add in flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
- Spoon 1/4 banana bread batter into separate bowl and set aside.
- Place chocolate chips in small bowl and melt in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on your microwave. Heat until just melted and soft.
- Add ground hazelnuts to melted chocolate and mix in. Add the chocolate hazelnut mixture to the 1/4 batter and stir in.
- Grease a 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan. Lay half banana batter onto bottom of pan. Using a spoon alternate drops of chocolate hazelnut mixture and plain batter on top of bottom layer. When all of chocolate batter is used up, layer the remaining plain batter over top.
- Using a for drag the batter slowly and with a swirling motion to create your "chocolate swirl" pattern.
- Bake banana bread loaf for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let the banana bread cool, before finishing with the peanut butter caramel sauce.
Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium heat combine brown sugar, butter and peanut butter. Once sugar is melted, add milk, stir vigorously until caramel thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Pour caramel over banana bread as soon as you remove saucepan from stovetop , working quickly before it sets, drizzling evenly.
- Slice and serve!
Delicious!!!
Thank you! Hope it fills your first week of Fall with cozy goodness!
Just discovered your blog. This looks amazing. How do you think it would be with walnuts? I have lots of those but no hazelnuts. Also looking to try your fig dressing.
I would halve the amount of you walnuts and chop them, not blend. I might also skip the peanut butter topping. Hope this helps and let me know how it works out for you! Thank you for taking a look at my blog space