This ‘Heavenly’ Banana Bread Has A Surprising Secret Ingredient

I love banana bread. I love it so much that I once carried a loaf of my mom’s freshly baked chocolate chip banana bread with me on an airplane on my way back to school after visiting home for the weekend. My precious cargo was still warm as it passed through security on a paper plate, and I carefully held it in my lap for the entire three-hour flight. I have no regrets, except that I didn’t bring more back with me. After I decided to share it with friends, the bread was gone in under ten minutes.

But for even the most dedicated banana bread fans, such as myself, all the noise about different variations of the beloved treat can be a little much. There seems to always be a new hack for how to make it better: add sour cream, add brown butter, add chocolate, add zucchini, add nut butter, add cream cheese, add ginger. It's hard not to think that we might be messing too much with a good thing.

It wasn’t until I saw an especially unique recipe on the Allrecipes site that I was truly intrigued by a banana bread adaptation. This recipe has me curious, and I can’t stop thinking about it. With this surprising upgrade, I’m willing to give it a try. Who knows, maybe I am wrong and there really is a better, not-basic way to make banana bread, after all.

Banana Peach Bread Is the Banana Bread Upgrade of the Summer

At first glance, this recipe seems like your average banana bread. But once you look a little closer, you will find a couple of interesting ingredients that many say make it even more delicious.

The first switch-up is to add peaches. In perfect summer fashion, the addition of this popular warm-weather fruit adds an extra fruity flavor and, I would guess, a lighter texture. I’ve already shared that peaches are one of my favorite fruits, so I have no objections.

What shocked me the most about the addition of peaches to this recipe is the fact that they are blended into the recipe and not kept chopped. The reasoning behind this is to add a better texture and extra sweetness. But, as many reviewers suggested in the comments, I would probably keep them diced and fold them in to let the extra fruit flavor really shine.

One comment suggested heating the peaches and bananas on the stove first with some apple juice for an extra boost. The result is an even sweeter bread that they described as “heavenly.” Call me intrigued.

Hot Chocolate Mix Is the Secret Ingredient for Better Banana Bread

Forget chocolate chips, this recipe has yet another secret trick you probably haven’t seen before: Hot chocolate mix. This ingredient is the one that truly secured my interest because it is so strange yet genius at the same time.

Chocolate is the perfect pairing with bananas, but I don’t feel like it works as well with peaches. This version is definitely what I would consider more of a “fruity” banana bread than a “chocolatey” one. The delicate flavors of the peaches, brown sugar, and (optional) walnuts make this recipe more reminiscent of a light fruit bread than a traditional, cozy banana bread optimal for melty chunks of chocolate.

This recipe calls for a tablespoon of instant hot chocolate mix instead. This way, the dessert remains light and summery while still having a rich depth. The extra sugar certainly doesn’t hurt, and milk powder, which is commonly found in hot cocoa mix, creates balance. 

Still skeptical of these wacky additions? The comments on this recipe speak for themselves. “Best banana bread I have ever made!” one user exclaimed. “I thought the cake would be dry, but I was wrong. It is so moist and tastes great,” another chimed in. I have a feeling they have the peaches to credit for their success.

So maybe it does pay off to change up your banana bread recipe every once in a while. Don’t get me wrong, I am deeply loyal to my mom’s chocolate chip banana bread. But when I feel like putting a summery spin on the treat, I have a new recipe to try. I’ll need to be careful, though—if it is too good, I’ll never have a banana-bread-free flight again.