Rich and Moist: Sour Cream Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

by Alice Currah on June 18, 2009. Updated January 4, 2012

sourcreamchocolatebananabread
Finally, 3 overly ripe bananas managed to remain in my fruit basket without my husband throwing them out into the compost. You see, he doesn’t understand that those blackish-brown bananas are the star ingredient to super yummy banana bread. Typically, he will throw them out before I even get an opportunity to make anything out of them. He finds them disgusting. Not this time! These bananas were hiding under a bag of pretzels, yeah for me! So this afternoon I thought I would make banana bread with these bad boys. Not just any banana bread either. Sour cream chocolate chocolate chip banana bread! Are you feeling me? Can I get an Amen!?

After pulling the loaves out of the oven, my kids and I devoured one within 5 minutes. This is probably the best banana bread I have ever had. I even tweaked my own recipe and it turned out amazing. I’ll take a slice of this bread over cake any day!

mushed-bananas

Because I used mini chocolate chips, you could see and taste little bits of melted chocolate in each bite. And the banana bread was incredibly rich and moist. Like the weirdo I am, I felt compelled to put a pat of butter on each slice (yes I ate 3 slices), not that it needed it. I’m a butter addict, what can I say?

chocolatechipbananabread1

I’m pretty sure you’re not interested in my butter addiction so here you go, the recipe for this yummy chocolate banana bread. Enjoy

bananabreadbatter

 

bananabreadbaked

 

Rich and Moist: Sour Cream Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
5.0 from 3 reviews
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Recipe type: Sweet Bread
Author: Savory Sweet Life
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 5 mins
Serves: 1 loaf
A rich and moist chocolate banana bread made with sour cream and chocolate chips.
Ingredients
  • 1 stick of salted butter, softened to room temp.
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 large ripened bananas mashed ( or 2.5 small bananas)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 Tbl. cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 1 cup of mini chocolate chips (regular chocolate chips work too)
  • optional 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan, or 2 mini pans with non-stick spray.
  3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Stir in egg, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla until well blended.
  4. Add baking soda, cocoa, and flour.
  5. Mix everything until well incorporated (about 3 minutes in a Kitchenaid mixer).
  6. Add chocolate chips and nuts (if applicable).
  7. Pour batter into loaf pan(s) and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hr.
  8. Insert a tooth pick into the center of the loaf and check to see if it comes out clean when you pull it out.
  9. Remove from heat and allow bread to rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes.
  10. Invert the loaf pans onto a cooling rack. Enjoy warm or cold.
 
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{ 93 comments… read them below or add one }

55
Samantha July 1, 2010 at 3:53 pm

I made this last night and just about died from how good this was! I used dark cocoa powder and wanted to finish it all right away. Luckily, I resisted and will be adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream to my dessert plate tonight!

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56
Refrigerator Water Filter July 27, 2010 at 12:55 am

Hmm what a treat for Chocolate lovers…

Mike

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57
Tee August 2, 2010 at 8:15 pm

Hi Alice,
I made this last night, and it turned out exactly as you pictured. The height dropped a tad after being taken out of the oven, and I couldn’t wait for 10mins to let it cool, I had to dive in, so cutting into it right away may have something to do with the slight deflation.

However, I’m wondering how I could lighten the recipe? Could I sub in 1% yogurt instead of the sour cream? I used light 5% sour cream. And the butter seems like a lot – the bread was quite greasy on my hands when I handled the piece. Could I cut it down to 1/4 cup and add an extra banana, perhaps?

Thanks for this fantastic recipe! Did you come up with it on your own, or do you start with another base recipe and tweak ’til it’s perfect?

keep it up and thanks!

xo

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58
alice August 2, 2010 at 8:27 pm

Hi Tee,
Funny you should comment. I am re-working the recipe so it isn’t so dense. It does have a lot of sour cream and the butter isn’t too bad in my opinion. I made up the recipe when I had two lonely bananas. Most of my cake recipes all originate from a base recipe I’ve been using for years as a cake decorator. I made this cake two days ago and added an additional 1/2 cup of flour to help with the height. It was a little bit taller and kept its nice moist texture. What I typically do with many of my cake recipes is use yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, heavy cream, and regular milk interchangeably. You could easily use any of these and it would work fine. If you want the cake less dense.. cut the butter in half. Hope this helps!

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59
Tee August 5, 2010 at 9:19 pm

Thanks so much, Alice! I did find it rather dense (not in a bad way) but wished for more height. Or maybe just making 1.5x of the recipe for a nice tall bread loaf pan is the trick? I’ll make it again with an extra 1/2c flour, and will cut the butter and sub in yogurt. But would you ever swap oil for butter in a cake recipe?

It’s very kind of you to respond is such detail. Thanks again! Loooove your desire to perfect a recipe ;-)

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60
Meghan August 28, 2010 at 1:06 am

This was so great! I made with my daughter and it was so much fun! (She mashed the bananas of course!) I added 1/3 cup of flour to the recipe and only used 3/4 cup of choc chips. We really enjoyed the bread/dessert/etc. And ummm when still warm I added that butter. So amazing! We’ll be following your site and looking for more yummy treats and meals to try.

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61
arielle eckstut August 30, 2010 at 11:06 am

fabulous recipe. made it in mini muffin tin, so they were delectable little bites. like others who commented, i made it with my daughter (who is 3) which made it all the more fun!

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62
adrene October 15, 2010 at 7:30 pm

I love this recipe! I deliberately brown my bananas just for this recipe. I actually omit the sour cream, add two more bananas and put the batter in muffin tins filling them to the top. Baking them for 17 minutes in my convection oven makes them incredibly moist…we can’t even wait to let them cool! It is the best banana bread recipe I have ever made. Thanks for sharing!

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63
Sam RFID October 19, 2010 at 9:22 am

I love the fact that you can make a lot of delicious recipe using banana, thanks for sharing this wonderful and tasty ideas.

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64
Melinda January 29, 2011 at 11:16 am

Alice you are a genius! My family went crazy for this. I normally don’t care for banana bread, but this was fantastic!

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65
Sandra February 6, 2011 at 6:09 am

Can I bake this in a bundt pan?

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66
Chelsea March 27, 2011 at 3:05 pm

Hi, are the baking times different for the mini loaf pans? If so, what are the times?

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67
jen March 28, 2011 at 12:02 pm

I just made this and wow, soooo delicious and very easy to make in one bowl! thank you!!

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68
Leslie March 29, 2011 at 1:22 am

Hi. I just wanted to write and thank you for this divine recipe. I made it around the holidays and just searched my files for the recipe. It’s truly a keeper. Thank you!

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69
S April 10, 2011 at 3:48 pm

Hey, I saw above that you said you were tweaking the recipe to make it lighter or lower in fat – were you able to successfully do this? If yes, can you post the recipe for that, too? I’m trying to eat a liiiittle healthier haha.

Thanks!

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70
Julia May 5, 2011 at 9:56 pm

I made this with five bananas instead of two, and used 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of lowfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Several of my coworkers said this was the best thing I’d EVER made, and I bake for work nearly every week. This recipe is AMAZING.

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71
Jes - oh, buckets May 9, 2011 at 4:27 pm

found your recipe on inspired by charm today and made it immediately!
http://www.inspiredbycharm.com/2011/05/sour-cream-chocolate-banana-hazelnut.html
*SO* good!

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72
Stephanie June 16, 2011 at 3:36 pm

Hey Alice! I wrote a post about this recipe and your wonderful blog today :) http://allaboutami.tumblr.com/post/6595423779/chocolatebananabread

I love “Savory Sweet Life”- thank you so much for sharing and keep up the good work!

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73
Mike July 14, 2011 at 10:14 pm

I was looking for something good but not the same o same o and boy I do have to say I am glad I came apon your site. They were the best thing I have ever made. I added a 1/4 c. apple sauce to it. Thank you for sharing the recipe. If you are looking for something to hit the sweet tooth this is sure a must to make. Goes good with a big glass off cold milk… :)

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74
Katy July 21, 2011 at 10:29 pm

Do you think you could use plain yogurt instead of sour cream and have it turn out the same?

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75
alice July 21, 2011 at 10:35 pm

Katy: I’ve substituted yogurt for sour cream with regular banana bread just fine. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work here.

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76
Rebecca August 16, 2011 at 4:51 pm

Just discovered your website when I was searching for a choc chip cookie recipe (I have a favorite, but am always open to try another). Your website is fabulous, the photos draw me in and inspire me to create. Thank you for creating such a fun site…I do have an idea for you, I have always frozen my old brown bananas. The freezing process creates a more favorful banana and I dont have to wait for the fresh ones to brown up. I hope this is something new for you, its so great to be able to share ideas with others! Keep up the fabulous site!

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77
Theresa Strauch September 18, 2011 at 12:12 pm

Just made this banana bread and LOVED it! Making another batch tomorrow for the builders working next door. Thank you!

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78
Natalie October 6, 2011 at 12:09 am

Alice-Great recipe! Just made it this evening as a treat for my co-workers tomorrow. Used whole wheat flour (all i had) and used walnuts instead of pecans. I tried a little bit and it was delish. May be slightly less moist due to whole wheat flour but still VERY good:)
YUM

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79
Eley October 13, 2011 at 3:00 pm

I just discovered your site and perusing your recipes has gotten me emotional! You know how food is- passionate and intense. I don’t know you, but I feel like we are friends already!

Can’t wait to try this recipe! My husband is a big fan of bananas and chocolate and this sounds like a perfect combination :)

Thanks.

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80
Tammy October 21, 2011 at 8:45 am

OMG-I have made many banana breads, but this one was awesome! I loved the addition of the sour cream and cocoa. It came out SO moist and delicious. Will be trying more of your recipes! Thank you!

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81
H December 20, 2011 at 4:30 pm

Best banana bread ever! Tastes like chocolate cake! It’s moist and full of flavor. It’s my fail proof, go-to recipe! My husband and I devour the whole cake in one-sitting!!! Thanks Alice :)

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82
N December 26, 2011 at 4:11 am

Hi Alice

I made this today but how come I can only get the batter into 1 pan instead of two?

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83
alice December 26, 2011 at 11:44 pm

Hi N,
Just divide the batter.

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84
N January 5, 2012 at 3:36 am

Tq Alice…u r the best!!! This recipe is awesome.the bread tastes divine.

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85
Bethany Thorsness January 13, 2012 at 11:09 am

I always had trouble finding enough of those over-ripe bananas at one time to make a batch of bread. I would usually end up with one lonely banana languishing at the bottom of the fruit bowl and I would have to toss it out since one banana does not a batch of bread make right? Then my mother-in-love clued me in to her trick of peeling and freezing that singleton banana in a ziploc bag, adding others until the needed ammount is reached. Now maybe you all have already figured this out but for me it was one of those “duh!” moments. :)

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86
Amelia February 9, 2012 at 12:11 am

I really like this recipe. I made it once on the fly with some things I had on hand. I used nonfat plain yogurt instead of sour cream. I also (since there was no all purpose flour in the house) used unsalted butter, took out the baking soda, compensated volumes with self-rising flour, and added almonds (because it’s what I had on hand). It was absolutely delicious! However, just made it again with more forewarning. Once again, I had unsalted butter but I didn’t add salt to compensate. They came out tasting a little flat, so I just added a little butter, sugar, and a bit of salt to the tops of them. They were great once again. Thanks for the great recipe!

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87
chelsea j.f. February 27, 2012 at 12:04 am

This is the BEST banana bread recipe I have ever tasted. So moist, so smooth, so light, perfect amount of sweetness. This is the recipe I’ve been looking for!

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88
evap March 2, 2012 at 8:38 am

This is the best banana bread ever!!!!!!!!!!! My and my husband loved it!!! This is the first time I leave a comment on a food blog but I had to tell you THANK YOU!

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89
renee March 4, 2012 at 12:15 pm

This banana bread, more like cake, is ridiculously divine. I have nothing more to say.

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90
Amy March 11, 2012 at 5:04 pm

Alice, you should open a bakery! Another winner:)

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91
alice March 11, 2012 at 11:08 pm

Glad you liked the bread, one of my favorites!

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92
FAB March 24, 2012 at 10:27 pm

I followed the recipe exactly and the bread deflated. It was almost too moist…more like bread pudding than bread. Maybe baking these in two mini loafs vs. a 9 x5 makes a difference.

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93
Hermann March 31, 2012 at 2:28 pm

Hi there,
can anybody give me an idea of how much gram or ounces “1 stick of butter” is please? And the vanilla: is it vanilla sugar or vanilla syrup or something like that? Thanks for you help – sounds like a really great recipe which I would love to try.

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94
Beverly March 31, 2012 at 6:18 pm

1 stick of butter is 1/4 lb., 4 oz., or 113 g. :-)
vanilla extract

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95
Hermann April 12, 2012 at 3:09 pm

thanks Beverly!

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96
Laura April 2, 2012 at 12:49 pm

how much is a sick of butter we don’t buy butter like that where I live its a pound which is 2 cups

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97
Kristine April 4, 2012 at 1:28 am

I don’t usually comment online, but the two recipes that I’ve tried on here was just DELICIOUS. I made the chocolate banana bread and kalbi ribs, so easy to do and came out perfect. THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting such delicious recipes. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. I am a new fan of your page.

Kristine

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