Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

If you know me at all you know that I am all about storing away food for a rainy day.  I'm not sure where I picked up this trait but for some reason I feel like if the zombie apocalypse were to happen in my town, my family would need unfrosted cupcakes and biscotti to survive.   There are no words to describe the mini panic attack that occurs when I open the freezer and find empty shelves.  There's no rational explanation for it, but the absence of perfectly portioned containers of soup, salsa and spaghetti sauce keeps me awake at night.  

I can honestly say that in my 47 years of life, I can't think of a single time when I was faced with an actual food emergency when I had to rely on my stockpile of freezer food to survive.  As a matter of fact, it becomes more of a hinderance than a help sometimes.  Last year when hurricane Irma came through Atlanta, I had to figure out how to keep all of that food frozen during extended power outages.  (Thank goodness for coolers and ice machines.)  The thought of losing all of that freezer food was scarier than losing trees in the yard.  Priorities, right?

Even though I wouldn't describe them as "emergencies" I do like the fact that I have food available when I want it.  When I sign up to bring a dessert to Bible study but then I run out of time to bake - freezer cookie dough to the rescue.  When we get a last minute invite to a friends house for a cookout - frozen boston butt.  When we decide to join some friends at the lake and I need to contribute something towards dinner - freezer macaroni and cheese.  It may not save us from the zombie apocalypse but there is no question that having food in the freezer comes in handy.  
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Rather than try and fight it, I'm learning to try and embrace my food hoarding tendencies.  These Chocolate Chip Banana Bars are the perfect freezer food.  They're great as a breakfast treat or dessert.  Because they're naturally soft and chewy, you really don't even need to let them defrost completely before diving in.  

Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
3 bananas
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons oil
3 Tablespoons milk
1 egg
​1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
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Mash bananas, oil, milk, egg and vanilla together. 

Sitr in flour, bakins soda, salt and cinnamon. 

Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. 

Spread batter into 8x5" dish.  Sprinkle 1/4 chips on top of batter. ​

Bake 25 minutes at 350. 

Cut into bars. 

Serve these yummy little treats for breakfast with coffee, for an afternoon snack with tea or for a sweet after dinner dessert.  

I'm super disappointed in how my pictures of this little treat turned out.  (That's what I get for trying to rush through a photo shoot with bad lighting and a dirty lens.)  Just don't judge these delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Bars by the pictures - in this case they really ARE better than they look.  

Ciao!