Hazelnut & Chocolate Banana Bread

I saw my first fly today. Flies bum me out; flies mean Winter has finally passed and given way to immanent Spring. The moment the first bluebottle bumbles across my path, I instantly lament the Winter I've been whining about for the last two months and start looking forward to weeks of not knowing whether to wear a coat. With warmth brings regret, regret brings salad masquerading as a meals. Salad masquerading as a meal makes Katie unhappy. I'm going to hide indoors and cling onto the last fleeting days of Winter, I'm going to bake banana bread!

Banana bread is like a hug in a cake. It's warm and comforting without being cloyingly sweet. If you're a a calorie rebel, like me, you can even turn a few slices of this son'bitch into french toast drizzled with Nutella. Filthy, I know.

Hazelnut & Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients: 200g unsalted butter 200g light brown sugar 100g whole, skinless hazelnuts 2 large eggs 200g self raising flour 1tsp baking powder 3 medium, ripe bananas mashed with a fork 1/2tsp vanilla extract 200g plain chocolate chips

Method: Preheat the oven to 175C then grease and line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
Beat the sugar and flour together for five minutes until light and creamy, add the eggs one at a time mixing well between each addition. Scoop in your mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix. While you beat your butter and sugar toast the hazelnuts in the oven for a few minutes. Once toasted pop them into a food processor and pulse them until they're finely ground.
Add the hazelnuts, flour and baking powder to the butter and mix until combined. Stir through the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon before pouring the batter into the prepared tin and baking for 60 - 75 minutes, the cake should be golden brown and springs back if prodded with a finger.
Allow to cool in the tin before turning out and enjoying.