Cookbooking: Joy The Baker | Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread

For the longest time, I didn’t consider myself much of a baker – the idea of having to measure turned me off. I generally have more of a “let’s throw in a little of this and a little of that until it tastes good” mentality.

Enter Joy The Baker. Joy has been sharing her kitchen creations for a while, but I just started following her regularly several months ago (what the heck was I waiting for?). Her witty, endearing writing makes you feel like you’re chatting over a cup of coffee and a plate of Peanut Butter Bacon Pancakes, while her recipes have the power to induce spontaneous salivation. Coffee Bacon Sandwiches will be happening very soon in my kitchen, and Dark Chocolate, Pistachio Smoked Sea Salt Cookies inspired my own cupcake version.

The most recent recipe I made from Joy was her drool-worthy Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread. Of course, this is called “bread”, so it’s perfectly acceptable for breakfast. But for the sake of full disclosure, it’s basically an incredibly decadent, buttery, chocolatey, sweet cake with a hint of bourbon. Needless to say, this loaf barely lasted long enough for me to take pictures.

I’ve shared the recipe below but it can also be found alongside 99 other creative concoctions in Joy’s first book, Joy The Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes. To make things even sweeter, she has a new book coming out in October called Homemade Decadence: Irresistibly Sweet, Salty, Gooey, Sticky, Fluffy, Creamy, Crunchy Treats. I seriously cannot wait.

So go preheat your oven and pour yourself a shot of bourbon. It’s time to bake.

(Recipe at the bottom!)

Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread
Recipe from the Joy The Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes*

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (about 3) mashed ripe bananas
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons bourbon (and a little extra to enjoy while the bread bakes)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8×4 or 9×6 loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Fit an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about a minute after you add each one. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the bananas, lemon juice and bourbon. Beat until ingredients are fully incorporated.

4. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat until the flour is almost completely mixed in. Stop the mixer and pour in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Finish stirring all the ingredients together with a spatula.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Invert the loaf onto a wire rack and and allow to cool completely (if you can stand to wait – I couldn’t!). Slice, serve and enjoy!

*Recipe instructions very slightly rewritten.

Want to hear our thoughts on other cookbooks? Check out our reviews of Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty and Sara and Hugh Forte’s The Sprouted Kitchen.