Chocolate-Cherry Banana Bread

Chocolate-Cherry Banana Bread

This is a lovely banana bread for the holidays.  It is your basic banana bread with yummy ingredients added for that special holiday flavor.  I am thinking of the  dried cherries, chocolate, and amaretto, brandy, or orange juice. The cherries are simmered in one of these liquids of your choice.     I simmered the cherries in orange juice.  After you have simmered the cherries, you set them aside and proceed by combining the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the eggs, bananas, sugar and oil.  Mix until wet.  Fold in the cherries and pecans.  Bake and cool.   You will be tempted to eat the bread after it cools, but let it sit overnight.  It is well worth the wait.







Chocolate-Cherry Banana Bread
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

1/2 cup snipped dried cherries
1/4 cup amaretto, brandy, or orange juice
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4 to 5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of two 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2-inch loaf pans; set aside.  In a small saucepan combine cherries and orange juice (or other liquid of your choice).  Heat over low heat just until mixture comes to a simmer (do not boil).  Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Fold in soaked cherries and pecans.
4. Spoon batter into prepared pans; spread evenly.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  If necessary to prevent over browning, cover loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
5. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from loaf pans.  Cool completely on rack.  Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Makes 2 loaves, 20 servings

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