Chocolate Bits Banana Bread with Candied Ginger

It was a very chilly, misty day up here at the ranch. The moss is turning green on the granite boulders and the horses are getting their winter coats. Will, our cattleman, came by with his granddaughter Nicole to feed the goats and the cows. In the winter there isn't enough grass so you have to give them hay to get them through. You have never heard so much maaing and mooing! (Isn't this one amazing! Kind of like a cow in clown make-up.) I spent the day running from the feed store to the winery to the grocery store getting ready for Thanksgiving. Up here at SaveMart they give out $5 coupons every time you go to the grocery store and another $5 gift card for using your credit card so couldn't wait to save all that money on sweet potatoes, cranberries and wine. Except I went to La Belle Vineyards for the wine,( a great local winery which you should know about, so will put a link on the page) which means I ended up buying Courvoisier at the store just to make sure I got the most out of my coupons! I am going back to Malibu to start cooking but just wanted to share a great banana bread to have on hand for all those people who just want a little something to tide them over before dinner or bedtime or between breakfast and lunch or while watching the parade or the football game....its quick and easy and I know you have bananas that are turning a little too brown in the bowl.

Chocolate Bit Banana Bread with Candied Ginger
Makes 3 (5 ¾ x 3 “) mini loaves or 1 standard loaf

¾ cup sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 large bananas, mashed with a fork
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 - 3 ounce bittersweet chocolate bar (like Lindt) broken into ½ inch bits
¼ cup chopped crystallized ginger (Ginger People Crystallized Ginger Chips are great)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour pans and set aside
Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy scraping the bowl twice to make sure all is combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each. Reduce speed to low and add bananas and vanilla and beat until well mixed (about 30 seconds) scraping down once. Stir in flour mixture in 3 parts until well combined. Fold in chocolate and ginger.
Spoon batter into prepared pans. I used aluminum pans, lined with parchment and greased with softened butter. But non stick loaf pans are ideal. I just had these left over from another project. Bake 33 minutes for small loaves. 45-50 minutes for regular sized or until toothpick or knife comes out clean, no crumbs attached. Let cool 5 minutes. Turn out of pans and cool completely. Wrap and store in refrigerator. Freeze well too.

Comments from #1 DRT = Dishwasher and Recipe Taster
MMMMmmmm. I like this better than the one you made with the pomegranate seeds.