Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread #Dairyfree

Happy last Saturday of 2012!  What do you with brownish bananas?  Do you still eat them as is, or work them into banana bread?  In my house nobody will eat brown bananas but they make fantastic banana bread.  I went on a search for another recipe and found the banana bread recipe by Alton Brown. It looks - I am sure you agree - fantastic; and I adapted the Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread {I should call it Oregon style banana bread :)} recipe from his.  This may be the best banana bread yet!  Honestly - it fantastic...We served it today at a play date take a look at my taste testers....

It turned out moist, full of flavor, with a hint of hazelnut and bursts of chocolate.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
1  stick of Earth Balance {or other vegan "butter"}
1  C sugar
2  eggs
2  ripe bananas
1   Tbl of either soy/rice/almond/oat or hemp "milk" {I do not like coconut because of the flavor}
1    tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 C of semi-sweet chocolate chips {make sure they are dairy free - I get mine in the bulk section}
1/2 C of shelled hazelnuts, ground to a meal
1-1/2 C flour
1    tsp baking powder
1    tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
*Preheat oven to 325 F
1. Cream Earth Balance, and sugar together. When combined,
2. add 1 egg at a time and beat for at least in mixer for 2 minutes until well incorporated.  Then add the second add
3. Grind hazelnuts to a fine meal
4. Mash bananas, add "milk", and cinnamon.  Mix well and then add to the dough in the mixer.  Beat for about a minute or so before adding chocolate chips.  Mix - on low - for at least 3 minutes until well combined
5. Mix hazelnut meal, with flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Slowly pour the dry ingredients
    into the mixing bowl.
6. When just combined, pour the finished dough into a prepared loaf pan
7.  Bake in preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.