Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

It's Valentine's WEEK!  My husband surprised me with some beautiful roses and chocolates.  The flowers are so beautiful.  I stop and smell them and admire their beauty every five minutes or so.  Love it!  This week has been so busy with STUFF: swimming lessons, kids' groups, and just the general busyness of life, so baking is sometimes hard for me to fit in my schedule.  I love to bake and I love to give my family homemade treats in their lunches.  Of course, having chocolate as part of the recipe is always a good thing. 

Now I need to tell you about my love/hate relationship with banana bread.  For the last 12 years it has really been a trial......and error.  Sometimes it would turn out lovely, many times it was burnt on the outside and raw in the middle......ARG......so frustrating.  So I actually gave up on making banana bread as I was an epic failure at it...UNTIL....

I realized something......

It came as a revelation, beam of light kind of thing......YOU DON'T HAVE TO FILL THE PAN SO FULL!!!!   Seriously....I was always using all the batter, filling the baking pan to capacity, and then crying when my bread totally flopped.  NOW, (after the beam of light) I only fill the pan 3/4 full. (use extra batter in muffin tins and bake less time)  It has worked out PERFECTLY since then.  So life changing.  Now I can confidently make banana bread.  And this swirly version is my favorite!

Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

-adapted from Kraft Canada

What you Need:

1 egg

1/2 cup Miracle Whip Original Spread

1-1/3 cups mashed fully ripe bananas (about 3)

1-1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup of chocolate chips, melted

What to do:

1. HEAT oven to 350ºF.
 
2.  BEAT egg, dressing and bananas in large bowl with whisk until blended. Mix all remaining ingredients except chocolate in medium bowl. Add to banana mixture; stir just until moistened.
 
3.  POUR half the batter into medium bowl; stir in chocolate. Spoon batters alternately into 8x4-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray; swirl gently with knife.
 
4.BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool bread in pan 10 min.; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.