Nutella Banana Bread

““Nutella completes me.””

— Banana Bread

My favorite childhood banana bread recipe with a gorgeous chocolate hazelnut upgrade.

I had one of those sleepless nights recently and got lost scrolling the Kitchn blog. Around 2 AM, I came across a gorgeous photo of Nutella swirled banana bread.

I’ve always been a lover of banana bread. It’s been a childhood staple. A Sunday morning treat my mom would whip up. We’d snuggle on the couch, eating it warm out of the oven, smothered in butter. I get all the cozy feels just thinking about it.

So when I saw the idea for Nutella swirled banana bread on The Kitchn, creating a beautiful swirled design, I immediately wanted to try it, but with my own recipe I’ve used for years. I love Nutella, and I love banana bread. Turns out, they love each other.

This recipe is easy to change up. Add chopped nuts, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, some freshly grated orange zest, white chocolate chips, whatever suits your fancy. I would have to imagine you could easily substitute peanut butter for the Nutella, too. Yum!

Nutella Banana Bread

You’ll need:

• 4 medium sized very ripe bananas, mashed

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 extra large egg, lightly beaten

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

• 3/4 cup Nutella, warmed up to a pourable consistency

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour a loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, overhanging on the sides for easy lifting.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and beaten egg till combined.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and chocolate chips, if using.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix well with a rubber spoon.

5. Pour half the batter into the pan. Using generous spoonfuls, drop half the Nutella over the top of the batter. lightly swirl in into the batter, but don’t fully mix it in.

6. Pour the remaining batter over the top. Spread the batter all the way to the sides, covering the Nutella underneath.

7. In a horizontal zig zag motion, pour the remaining Nutella over the top. I use a pastry bag filled with Nutella to make this easier. You could also use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off, or just a spoon. With a toothpick or knife, moving quickly, drag the design up and down, creating a swirl.

8. Bake on center rack for 55 to 60 minutes, till a center tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes then pull up, using the parchment paper, to let the bread cool completely. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!