Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Moist, chocolatey, and a little but nutty, this Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread takes your traditional Banana loaf to the next level! This version of banana bread, as the name suggests, features tahini in the batter, which provides a wonderful nutty element to the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Mini chocolate chips are folded into the batter, then the loaf is baked up to create a spectacularly moist and flavorful Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!
What is Tahini?
Tahini is a condiment that is made from toasted sesame seeds! Tahini can be made at home, or can easily be found in most grocery stores. It tastes, quite literally, like concentrated sesame seeds.Now you might be thinking – sesame seed banana bread? I know, I know, it sounds kind of weird, but I swear it is magical! Adding the sweet, warm flavors of banana bread perfectly compliment the tahini, taking it from a more savory ingredient to one that perfectly compliments the sweet flavors. The way I like to describe tahini is similar to peanut butter. Peanuts, without the added sweetness, are typically a savory ingredient, but add a little sugar (in the form of sweet peanut butter, for example) and you have a whole other story! An ingredient that just screams ‘perfect for desserts’. Same goes for tahini!
Furthermore, this Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, as the name suggests, has chocolate in it! Tahini and chocolate were made for each other! The combo is like a grown-up version of Nutella – it’s just a tad bit nuttier, which makes it excellent for use in banana bread!
How to Make the Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
1.Mix together ‘wet’ ingredients: Add melted butter, tahini, brown sugar, eggs, mashed bananas, and vanilla to a mixing bowl, and beat together until very smooth.
2. Whisk together ‘dry’ ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until well combined.
3. Add ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ together: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl the wet ingredients, and beat until just combined,
4. Fold in sour cream and chocolate chips: Add the sour cream and chocolate chips, then fold with a spatula until everything is evenly dispersed.
5. Bake: Add batter to a prepared loaf pan, top with extra mini chocolate chips, and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting into.
HOW RIPE SHOULD THE BANANAS BE?
It is crucial in this tahini banana bread recipe, along with all other banana breads or banana-based baked goods, that you use overripe bananas – they should actually be verging on black! Why you ask? Well because the texture is better and they are sweeter! The ripening process for bananas turns the starch molecules into sugar molecules, and the results of this are twofold. Most apparent, is that the bananas become significantly sweeter, but the breaking down of the starch structures also cause the banana to become softer and mushier, which is needed to achieve the right texture for your Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
Don’t have overripe bananas? Well, really, the only way to ripen them quickly is to put them in a brown bag and let them sit. The brown bag allows moisture to escape, while still trapping the ethylene gas in the bag, leading to faster ripening. This should quicken the ripening process by a day or two. Some people suggest that you can put the bananas in the freezer to ripen quickly, but sadly, this doesn’t work. Freezing the bananas will actually completely stop the ripening process in its tracks! Definitely not what you want. As well, some suggest that baking the banana in the oven until the peel turns black will also result in properly ripe bananas, but this doesn’t work either. Baking the bananas will get you the proper texture (mushy), but the process of baking does not turn the starch molecules into sugar, and as such you will not have the proper sweetness or flavor. So, sadly, there is no quick fix for unripe bananas, you must just sit and wait.
SMOOTH BANANAS for a smooth texture
As a little aside, I thought I should mention that I personally mash my bananas into a smooth paste. By mashing to a very smooth texture, the tahini banana bread will also be smooth and uniform in texture – meaning no chunks of bananas in the cooked Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
Get the Recipe: Tahini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp Tahini, (if separated in jar make sure to mix it together before adding)
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, melted
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 3 Overripe Bananas,, mashed very smooth
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour,, measured correctly†
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream
- 3/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips,, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, add the melted butter, tahini, brown sugar, eggs, mashed bananas, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl, and beat with a handmixer until it has formed a smooth consistency.
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined, then add this dry mixture to the wet mixture. beat until just combined, ensuring not to overmix.
- Add sour cream and chocolate chips to the batter, and fold until well dispersed.
- Place into a 9×5” loaf pan fitted with parchment paper, or well oiled, top with more mini chocolate chips, and bake in the oven for about 55 minutes.
