Slow Cooker Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

School starts Tuesday. I spent Monday doing what I always do before a new school year: the full reset. I cleaned out the lunch bag collection and found three bags I did not know existed. I labeled every container in the kitchen with a Sharpie because labels are how I communicate love in the language of logistics. I restocked the freezer with the specific inventory that the school year requires: breakfast items in the left drawer, dinner meals in the right, clearly dated, nothing older than three months, everything portioned for a weeknight that starts at 3:15 and has thirty minutes of margin before the question of dinner becomes an emergency.

Olivia starts fifth grade. She has prepared a supply organization system for her locker that she showed me Sunday with the genuine enthusiasm of someone who has been planning this since June. She has a color-coded folder system. She has labeled her folders in a color that coordinates with the notebook for each subject. I told her she is going to be a great teacher someday. She said: I know. Then she asked if I thought the color-coding was too much. I said: there is no such thing as too much color-coding. She accepted this with the relief of someone who needed to hear it.

Mason starts fourth grade with the composure of someone who has decided that school is a thing that happens to him while his real work is elsewhere. He packed his backpack in three minutes on Monday and spent the rest of the evening in the backyard adding a window to the fort. He is nine and already knows the difference between obligation and vocation.

I made a big batch of school-morning baked goods Sunday: two dozen banana muffins, a double batch of baked oatmeal muffins, and a tray of egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches foiled individually. The freezer for September is stocked. The kids have been told: breakfast is in the freezer, microwave instructions are on the card on the fridge, you do not need to wake me up before six. Whether this works remains to be seen. I estimate a forty percent success rate for the first two weeks.

Of all the things I made Sunday, the banana bread is the one that disappears first. Olivia eats it cold, straight from the freezer bag, on the way to the bus stop. Mason microwaves his slice for exactly twenty seconds—he has tested this—and eats it standing at the counter with the calm focus of a person fueling up before returning to more important work. I make this slow cooker version because it stays impossibly moist, it frees up my oven for the muffins and sandwiches, and it slices into perfect freezer portions that require zero parenting before six a.m.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes | Servings: 10

Ingredients

3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Prepare the slow cooker. Line the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to lift the bread out later. Lightly spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, melted butter, and sugar. Stir in the beaten egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the banana mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and fold gently until just incorporated—do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Cook low and slow. Pour the batter into the prepared slow cooker and spread it evenly. Place a layer of paper towels or a clean dish towel under the lid to catch condensation. Cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool and slice. Use the parchment overhang to carefully lift the bread out of the slow cooker. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Freeze for school mornings. Wrap individual slices tightly in foil or plastic wrap, place in a labeled freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave a slice for 20 to 30 seconds or eat cold straight from the bag.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooker Chocolate Chip Banana Bread — The First Thing I Stock in the School-Year Freezer