Oh, how I love the month of May! Not only do we celebrate the mothers in our lives, but we also celebrate Memorial Day and the end of another school year. In an ode to mom this month, I’m sharing one of my absolute favorite twists on banana bread.

How many times have you bought too many bananas and now you have at least three, if not five (in my case), dark-spotted, very ripe bananas? This happens a little too often in my home. I normally just unpeel the bananas and place them in my bag that rests in my freezer to use for future smoothies. But on this day, I was craving some banana bread.

Instead of making my go-to banana walnut bread recipe, I was thinking about how I could add peanut butter into the batter to make this banana bread even more spectacular. My kids had eaten all the peanut butter, and I didn’t have any in my pantry. I had peanut butter powder, which happens to be a tad bit healthier for you, so a big win on my part. I still had some dairy-free chocolate chips on hand, so I knew I would add those into the bread as well. Let’s get real, you can’t go wrong with the peanut butter/chocolate combo.

I know you might be wondering, well, what If I don’t have peanut butter powder on hand? If you have traditional creamy peanut butter on hand, you can swap it out exactly as stated in the recipe (just don’t add the water)! Don’t worry if you only have chunky peanut butter on hand. You can use that, too. Just remember, you’ll have chopped nuts inside the bread. So if you’re good with that, then you can use it!

Bananas must be ripe! That is one of the secrets to super moist and flavorful banana bread. You want to make sure your bananas are ripe. When they are spotted with more brown than yellow, the bananas are ripe. You want ripe bananas because they will be much sweeter, yielding a stronger banana flavor.

To amp up the wow factor on this banana bread, I made a peanut butter frosting. I start by creaming butter with powdered sugar (similar to a buttercream). Then, I add in the peanut butter powder and water. After it begins to incorporate, then I add in the heavy cream and whip on high until the frosting is thick and well incorporated. Once again, you can also use traditional peanut butter for the frosting as well.

So, with a few of my tips, I hope I’ve intrigued you to change your normal banana bread recipe and make this recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Everyone who I serve it to is always shocked that they are eating banana bread.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Yield: 10 slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Banana Bread:
1 cup peanut butter powder
½ cup of water
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Frosting:
3 tablespoons salted butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
⅓ cup peanut butter powder
2 tablespoons water
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
sing a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the peanut butter powder, water, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-low speed for 30 seconds. Turn the mixer off. Using a silicone spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, add in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix again for 30 seconds.
n a separate bowl, mash the bananas. Then, add to the stand mixer. Mix for an additional 30 seconds.

Add in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined, 30-60 seconds. Then, pour in the chocolate chips.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Using the silicone spatula, spread the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for one hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes clean.

Remove the banana bread from the oven. Let rest in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove to a plate to continue cooling.

Once cooled, make the frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the salted butter with powder sugar. Then, add in the peanut butter powder and water. Mix for 20 seconds on medium-low. Then, begin to add in the cream. Beat on high for one minute.
Spread the frosting on top of the bread. Top with chopped peanuts and mini chocolate chips. Slice and enjoy.

Note: Store the peanut butter banana bread in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days.