Kids Cuisine

You might not know this, but popular Food TV Network chef Tyler Florence has a nine-year-old son, Miles.  When he visits his son’s classroom, he rolls up his sleeves and gets right to work, entrancing the class full of kids with his skills in the kitchen.  On a recent visit, it was all about Chocolate-Banana Bread, a recipe from Tyler’s latest cookbook, Tyler’s Ultimate. 

Cooking with kids is a great way to not only get them interested in spending time in the kitchen and cooking, but also to teach basic math skills.  Tyler set up a station for each of the bread’s ingredients and then the students used their fraction skills to measure the ingredients into bags.  Any of the kids who took their bag home, baked the bread, and brought it back to school received extra credit—not to mention their own loaf of tasty, healthy Chocolate-Banana Bread!  Who says learning can’t be fun?

Chocolate-Banana Bread
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350.  Butter 9×5 inch loaf pan. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.

Beat butter in large bowl on medium speed until lightened.  Beat in chocolate, eggs, bananas, and vanilla at low speed.  Stir in flour mixture just until combined.  Pour into pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean.  Cool on wire rack 15 minutes.  Remove from pan; cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

280 calories per slice, 12.5 g total fat