Dark Chocolate Chip Coconut Bread

I swore I was going to try to stop making so many baked goods. I swore I would try to use the library more. I swore I would be running more than 3 times a week. Unfortunately, that has not been the case, especially this week, when I have been VERY under the weather. Like leave work 3 days in a row under the weather.



You know what happens when I am sick and told to stay in bed all day. I don't. I can't. It's not in my nature. Soap operas don't do it for me, neither do marathons of Say Yes to the Dress. You know what occupies me, cooking, baking, reading cooking magazines. So as soon as I even feel the slightest bit better, I hop into the kitchen to whip up something good to eat- and this something was a delicious quick bread involving coconut and chocolate. Who could resist?



I saw this recipe originally from Honey & Jam, and thought it would be to my liking once I tailored the recipe a little- especially to add chocolate chips. Being sick makes me crave comfort, and nothing is more comforting than some good old tomato soup and chocolate.



The bread was super easy to put together- 2 bowls and a loaf pan. I substituted half whole wheat flour, used vanilla extract instead of vanilla beans ( I didn't have a vanilla bean on hand), and of course, added some Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Chips to the mix. The bread did take a lot longer than I had expected. I added on an additional 10 minutes onto the maximum time as the center just would not cook. In the middle of baking though, I did add aluminum foil to the top of the pan to prevent the bread from burning.



The end result was exactly what I was looking for- hearty and just sweet enough to sate my appetite.

What is your favorite quick bread?

Dark Chocolate Chip Coconut Bread
adapted from Honey & Jam

Ingredients

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

Seeds scraped from half a vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- I used vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour, more for dusting pan- I used half Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup superfine sugar

5 ounces flaked coconut (around 1 1/2 cups)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Soft butter for greasing the pan
1 cup of dark chocolate chips

Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla seeds. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the sugar and coconut. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and slowly add the egg mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in the melted butter and chocolate chips, being careful not to overmix.

Grease and flour a 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Pour in the batter and bake in the preheated oven until the loaf is golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, around 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in its tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Position it again side up to cool a bit more.