Sorry about the horrid picture

It was late in the day, no light, and I had to take a picture before this was devoured by the children!

So my neighbor had a baby last week, her forth boy. What do you give as a shower gift to someone who has four boys? And her baby shower was scheduled at the same time as the husband's birthday party, so I couldn't do more than drop in for a few minutes. (And for the record, my shower gift was a gift certificate to Build-a-Bear so they could make a stuffed bear for him.)

We jokingly laughed about the cake party I was hosting, and how I would try to bring her some of the left over cakes, which she loved the idea of!

No suck luck. The really, really good stuff (read that as cheesecake) was eaten right away.

So instead I made her some banana bread, but not your normal, everyday banana bread. Having a forth child deserves something a little more special than my standard banana bread!

How about chocolate banana bread, loaded with white chocolate chips?

Now that is a bit more like it!

And as it happens, I had just found a recipe for chocolate banana bread at Joy of Baking. Plus this let me fulfill my requirement of at least one new recipe a week, and it gave me something I could bake with the 4 year old chef-in-training. (We even had to use his new bowl, measuring cups and spoons, those that Santa brought him - couldn't find his little hat or apron though.)

This bread came together quickly, as most banana breads do, and was just special and different enough to be a lovely change from the norm. The chocolate was deep, though not intense, and a bit surprising since it was only cocoa powder. The white chocolate chips added a touch of texture, despite not being overly obvious.

I will make this recipe again, anytime I feel like a change, or want something special.

And maybe next time I'll get to use my own bowls and measuring spoons.