Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia

I became a banana-and-coffee-for-breakfast person last summer. Before that I was just a coffee-for-breakfast girl. Times change! Anyway, now that I buy bananas, I also have bananas going brown before I can get to them. I knew of one way to use those bananas: banana bread. Last weekend I looked around the internet for a new recipe, but for some reason I kept thinking of chocolate. Eventually, chocolate took complete control (as it does). And that is how I discovered these brownies, which are ridiculously good. Like, wow.

Banana Nut Brownies (modified very slightly from this Taste of Home recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, very soft

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (around 3 medium-sized)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and cocoa. Stir in eggs, milk and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to batter in two batches, stirring after each addition. Stir in bananas, then fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, and bake 40-45 minutes until the top springs back/stays firm when tapped lightly. Cool in pan before serving (or be very careful of the chocolate chips, which will have turned liquid and extremely hot).

This recipe makes a lovely pan of brownies, and although they are rich, they also have that hint of ‘lightness’ that the fruit brings to the table. I took photos and then told my roommates they were free game. The brownies were gone by the following morning.

Recommended for: fans of brownies, anyone with overripe bananas and a chocolate craving, and for an easy, family-friendly dessert to end any meal.