chocolate chip banana bread

My mom and I have an on going, all-in-the-name-of-fun, feud over who makes the best brownies (::me). We make them from the same recipe, one that I believe her mother passed down to her, probably from her mother's mother. In truth, I have no idea where the recipe came from, but it's on a faded piece of fragile brown paper that we no longer touch. It sits in a cookbook, reverential, smeared with cocoa and butter, from all the times we've handled it mid-baking. We've never written it down anywhere else because we know it by heart. And when we hesitate on a step or an amount, we call the other, a mother-daughter ever-changing narrative of the perfect baked good.

 3 mashed bananas with 1/3 cup of butter // mix in 3/4 cup light brown sugar, one already beaten egg and a teaspoon of vanilla // be crazy and add a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon

Although we use the same recipe, our brownies are very different. This family recipe has taught me a lot about baking. I've known it since I was about 7 years old, and I've never been afraid to experiment with it. I think I love to bake and understand my palette and what flavors work together because of this brownies recipe. You see, over the years, I've found that I like vanilla, a lot. My brownies always have a drop or two more vanilla than my mom's. Conversely, my mom likes chocolate, a lot. Her tablespoons of cocoa are always a little more heaping than mine. She also sprinkles chocolate chips in her batter. Hers are molten chocolate temptations, and mine lean towards a purist, lighter approach.

stir in one teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt // 1/2 cups of flour, mixed in last // all with a wooden spoon and a single large mixing bowl

In the last five years or so, I've nearly stopped making them altogether, except for the occasional in a pinch, need a dessert that I can throw together without blinking, parties. I've stopped because gradually my palette has changed from enjoying heartier, chocolate desserts to lighter, fruit-based and less sweet options. Now I'm drawn towards recipes that call for light brown sugar instead of white and bananas and zucchini instead of cocoa. So when I came across Smitten Kitchen's Gone in 60 Seconds Banana Bread, I made it immediately and ate (a chunk of) it in 45 seconds.

stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips (for good measure), tossed in a couple healthy pinches of flour

Desserts like this are my jam. Even as a first-timer with the recipe, I threw it together and had it in the over rising in less than 20 minutes. I made a few changes to the recipe -

• Deb (Smitten Kitchen author, extraordinaire), tosses in a tablespoon of bourbon. Swoon. I would have been on this like brown on rice if I had any. I didn't, so I skipped it. 
• next, I don't own bread pans. say what. so I utilized a smaller casserole pan and cut the baking time in half. it looks more like a banana cake. you won't find me complaining. 
• an extra drop of vanilla, always. 
• and finally, I added half a cup of chocolate chips. and, for good measure, drizzled about half a teaspoon of hot chocolate sauce over the top. my Mama would be proud.

 spread evenly in a greased bread pan, or whateva baking pan you prefer // pop in a pre-heated 350 degree oven // for a bread pan, bake for 50-60 minutes until the a toothpick comes out clean // for this kinda pan, 23-25 minutes'll do ya right

While I was baking, I thought of a few things I do without thought from all those years learning to perfect that old brownie recipe that I might share. If they're all like, "Duh!" then totally just ignore me and play today's google doodle. Here are a few of my general baking tips:

• always read the entire recipe first. i always forget something when i jump in without reading through every single step. (patience is not my best virtue.) 
• when using chocolate chips, toss them in a bowl first with a couple good pinches of flour. it'll keep them from sinking to the bottom. the only gooey mess will be in yo mouth! 
• simple, but: the deeper the dish you're baking in, the longer the baking time. if you switch up pants to a larger, flatter one, remember to cut the baking time. 
• your delicious baked good will continue to cook when you take it out of the oven, as it cools. with brownies, cookies and even this bread to some extent, take it out 2-3 minutes before it's 100% cooked. by the time it cools, it'll be extra moist. 
• if you're outta toothpicks (or never buy those, because who buys those?), the eating end of a chopstick works perfectly to check the doneness!

Smitten Kitchen's Gone in 60 Seconds Banana Bread

What are your baking tips? Do you have a family recipe you know by heart?