Adapted from Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life.

Getting rid of ingredients that have been in the pantry forever — this time cacao nibs and crystallized ginger. I sometimes think banana bread without walnuts is almost sacrilegious, so I don’t make banana bread as often as I used to (food allergies in the family, etc.) but Molly did really well with this. Just don’t tell the kids there’s ginger in there!!

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips and/or cacao nibs, finely chopped (these taste nutty, not really chocolatey, but so good for you!)
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 large eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray or melted butter (or brush with oil of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
Melt butter in small saucepan (or in microwave if you like, gently).
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Toss in chocolate chips/cacao nibs and crystallized ginger.
In another bowl, combine eggs, bananas, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture. Mix just until all flour is incorporated.
Transfer to prepared loaf pan (a silicone spatula is so useful in getting every last bit out of that bowl and into the pan).
Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until skewer or toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Tent with foil, halfway through, if loaf is browning too quickly.

Cool loaf in pan on wire rack 5 minutes.

We’re supposed to wait until the whole thing is completely cooled before slicing, but seriously, WHO DOES THAT? 😉

Next week’s assignment: Come up with a dairy-, egg- and gluten-free version of this.