Pumpkin & Choc Chip Banana Bread

So I made these delicious little loaves back for Canadian Thanksgiving which was October 8th! It's taken me a while to get around to blogging about them because these pictures are not great! How I miss my collection of beautiful cake stands that are all packed away back in England in my parents attic! Instead I had to make do with a chopping board and our fall table runner from Wal Mart! Sad times! 

I was planning to be totally traditional and make a pumpkin pie but it's not my husbands favourite, when I gave him the choice of pie or me revamping one of his absolute faves - choc chip banana bread, it was no contest for him! 

Plus there doesn't seem to be enough banana bread variations on my blog just yet ;)

I also decided to bake mini versions because everything is more fun in mini form! The flavours worked really well together, it was super moist from the pureed pumpkin and the mashed banana, with just the right amount of spice coming through and when it was warmed up you had melting pools of chocolate too - delish! 

For all my American followers out there who are currently planning their Thanksgiving menu's, why not give this a try!

Pumpkin & Choc Chip Banana Bread:

Makes 4 mini loaves or 1 regular sized loaf

From Yummly

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (firmly packed)

3/4 cup softened unsalted butter

3 beaten large eggs

1 cup pumpkin (cooked or canned)

2 mashed bananas (ripe)

3 cups plain flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet/dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine brown sugar, butter and eggs.  Mix until mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.  Add pumpkin and bananas, mix well, for another 2 minutes.  

Add remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, mix until just moistened for another minute.  Stir in chocolate chips with a spoon.

Pour into four greased mini loaf pans, or one regular sized loaf pan.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  

Cool for 5 minutes and then remove from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Serve warm with lashings of butter! It's the best way!

Speaking of pumpkin, I also made these cute little peanut butter filled pretzel pumpkins for a Halloween party we went too.  They won the prize for the best dessert of the night! but I forgot to take proper photos of them as I was in rush to get them finished and paint my nails with maple leaves for being a Canadian Hockey Fan! so you'll have to make do with this instagram pic! 

If you want to make some, you can follow Erica's recipe.  Instead of using chocolate chips to make my jack-o-lantern faces I just used an edible food marker.