Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

How is it that healthy habits can lead to decadence? Here's a perfect example. As I was leaving the office and straightening things up today, I came across four almost-fruit-fly-ready bananas. They had been passed up for other healthy snacks over the past several days. I offered them to my officemates for banana bread, but no takers.

Rather than dump them into my compost pile here at home though, I decided I would make banana bread. I found this recipe online. If my co-workers are lucky, I'll take them some.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
Makes one loaf.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 x 5 x 2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan. Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Combine chocolate chips and walnuts in small bowl; add 1 tablespoon flour mixture and toss to coat.

Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat in flour mixture. Spoon 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of nut mixture. Spoon 1/3 of batter over. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture. Cover with remaining batter. Run knife through batter in zigzag pattern.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool.