Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Let’s face it: you don’t have to add honey butter for this chocolate chip banana bread to be delicious. But no one had to add frosting to cupcakes either, and if they hadn’t, we’d all still be eating muffins. This banana bread gets even more pizazz when you mix in some chunks or dark chocolate.

Banana bread is one of those treats that sit squarely in the center of the “Healthy” and “Dessert” Venn diagram. It’s joined there by carrot cake, zucchini bread and apple sauce cake for their inclusion of fruits, veggies and traditionally “healthy” ingredients. Is the logic airtight? No. But I’m not here to dispute that fact today.

In our family, my dad is the infallible optimist. His commitment to looking on the bright side is best characterized by how often he’ll eat something and ask, “This is pretty healthy, isn’t it?” The question is posed in an encouraging, hopeful tone, as if genuinely expecting to be met with the beneficial fiber content in apple pie.

If you asked me whether this banana bread was “healthy” in the traditional sense, I’d respond with how I almost always reply to my dad. 

“When it tastes this good, does it matter?”

So in honor of my favorite glass-half-full guy, this recipe is dedicated to my Dad – and all the other fathers out there. Happy Father’s Day, everyone!

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