Bread or Biscotti? Sweet or Sketchy?

So there has been a hold up in the placement office, and thus I still haven't begun student teaching. I do have the first day of fall semester this evening, and hopefully will get more info on where I'll be placed then. In the meantime, why not make some lemonade out of those lemons!
After church yesterday, I began to mull over the fact that I have had the same next door neighbors (here at my rents place) for the past 16 years, and I have NEVER met them. Never introduced myself, never borrowed an egg, never even apologized for all the days I blasted N'Sync on my awesome boom box for all to enjoy. I mean there shouldn't be any apology needed for that one. Who doesn't rock out to Tearin up my Heart?
I digress.... I really felt bad about not saying hello to the sweet old couple I have come to see from time to time in their yard. So I decided some baking was in order. I found a recipe for a banana coffee chocolate chip bread. However, I didn't have ripe bananas so I took those out of the equation. I also didn't have vegetable oil so I substituted half EVOO and half Canola oil. And I used the rest of the dark chocolate chips I had instead of the milk ones called for by the recipe author. Okay..... wait a sec. I think with all the changes I figured out why it turned out like biscotti rather than bread. Plus I put it in the bigger oven, in the wrong size pan! Okay.... it all makes sense now. I love when I make changes and come up with my own creation. It really was tasty. So much so, that I thought about saying who cares about stupid neighbors, this is my delectable desert! A side of cold milk and hot coffee with a book is all ya need. Who needs neighborly anyway!
No... even though I love me somethin sweet,  I decided to stick with my gut and walk over this new invention.
I met Gail. A sweet elderly woman who had the look of- Wow you are way to old to be selling girl scout cookies honey when she came to the door. After friendly chatter for a few minutes, she was so excited about the desert, and thanked me profusely. If she hadn't been on the phone, she would have loved to visit more. Or so she says..... maybe she was still thinking sketch ball, I wouldn't even feed this to my yelping terriers, who are you, and who the heck makes biscotti. It's probably laced and your trippin if you think I'm falling for it.  Wait.... she didn't look like that kind of grandma. She was really sweet, and her joy was totally worth giving away my biscotti. 


Do you know your neighbors? 

Hello dry ingredients

Welcome the wet ones

Mmm... with the chocolate chips they just all come together so well
Yes... this is the step where you can lick the spoon!

Fold um into that too big loaf pan

Now you can cut into small slices for perfect biscotti dipping!

ENJOY!

Coffee Chocolate Chip Banana Breads
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 packet Starbucks Via, or 1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 medium bananas, mashed (approx 1 cup)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease two two 5×3-inch loaf pans (or use disposable foil pans).
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, Via or instant espresso, sugar and brown sugar.
In a medium bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, vegetable oil, buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract until smooth and well-combined. Pour into dry ingredients and stir only until no streaks of flour remain. Add in chocolate chips and stir to evenly distribute.
Divide evenly into prepared pans. Place pans in a baking sheet.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in pans on a wire rack.

Makes 2 mini loaves

Note: This bread can be baked in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, increasing the baking time to about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.