Vegan chocolate chip banana bread

A treat for everyone. Not really bread. Courtesy of Chloe Coscarelli.

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• Best for: snack or breakfast, serves 8-10

• Difficulty: easy

• Time: 15 minutes prep, 50-60 minutes in oven

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This recipe comes from vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli. I used to eat this incredible, dense, mostly-chocolate banana bread practically every weekend morning from restaurant By Chloe. Both vegan and gluten free, it was perfect for my entire family to fight over. You can make this gluten free like I did, or using regular flour. You can also add in chopped walnuts for some crunch.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon xanthan gum)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup mashed bananas (approximately 2 very ripe bananas, mashed on a plate using the back of a fork)

1 cup canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring

½ cup canola oil

2 teaspoons white or apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2-3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (dairy-free for vegan, regular for vegetarian)

Powdered sugar for garnish

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First...

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 5- x 10-inch loaf pan.

(**You can also use a muffin pan: Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line muffin pan or coat with cooking spray.)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. In a separate bowl, whisk together bananas, coconut milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

Then...

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips; do not over mix.

Finally...

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Rotate the pan halfway through baking time. Let cool then sift with powdered sugar.

**For muffins: bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then (keeping muffins in the oven) reduce heat to 350. Bake for an additional 13-6 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Optional: serve with whipped cream!