chocolate-walnut banana bread

i get an email from the chatelaine website every day. a little much to be honest, but every now & then it sends me a wonderful recipe. today the delightful sound of "chocolate-walnut banana bread" woo-ed me. hopefully it tastes as good as it sounds!

here's the recipe...

chocolate-walnut banana bread

3 large, very ripe bananas
1 cup flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp rum
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil or spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Mash bananas in a medium bowl (they should measure about 1 1/2 cups).
Stir both flours with ground flax seed, baking soda & salt in a medium bowl.
Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl until combined, then beat in eggs, rum and vanilla. Stir in bananas. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in chocolate chips & walnuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth top.

Bake in centre of oven until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the load comes out clean, 50 to 65 minutes. Cover loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes if top browns too quickly. Remove pan to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen loaf. 

Carefully turn out loaf, then turn top-side up on a rack. Bread will keep well at room temperature up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 months.