(NC)The warmer months are all about celebrating and spending time with friends and family. Try your hand at baking something special for loved ones the next time you entertain guests or bring a hostess gift.

Easy-to-follow recipes and high-performance appliances like the Cuisinart Precision Master Stand Mixer can help even the most novice chefs master bakery-style goodies. This recipe below combines potassium-rich bananas with sweet chocolate chips in a bread that everyone's sure to love. Remember that that the secret to soft banana bread is a light mixing hand.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Makes: One 9-inch loaf, about 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

• 3/4 tsp (4 mL) baking powder

• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) kosher salt

• 2/3 cup (150 mL) granulated sugar

• 6 tbsp (90 mL or 3/4 stick) butter, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces, plus more for buttering pan

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) ripe banana, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Generously butter a 9-inch loaf pan.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve.

3. Put sugar and butter into the Cuisinart mixing bowl. Attach the flat mixing paddle and mix on

speed 2 until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the entire bowl.

4. Continuing on speed 2, add eggs, one at a time, and mix until each is incorporated. Scrape the entire bowl. Add vanilla extract and then banana and continue to mix until banana is well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl.

5. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Scrape the bowl well and add chocolate chips

and mix to fold. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.

6. Bake until deep golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack until cool to touch; remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Nutrition information: Calories 210 (38 per cent from fat); carbohydrates 31g; protein 3g; fat 9g; saturated fat 6g; cholesterol 51mg; sodium 190mg; calcium. 9mg; fibre 1g.

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