A Delicious Valentine - Chocolate Chip Banana Rolls!

I love to have a reason to bake.....(not that just "I'm hungry" isn't a good reason to bake!) On Fridays, I bake for the new local coffee shop. Usually, it's a lot of fun to make "pretties" for them to sell - I don't make any money.....I just take my payback in delicious coffee -Hurrah! However, this week was a little different since my Friday fell on Valentine's Day. The pressure was on to come up with something tasty, cute, sweet but not too sweet.....Agggg.......I thought I had it under control when I found a gorgeous-looking recipe for cherry quick bread. I whipped up the batter last night and put it in the oven to bake. The kitchen filled with a wonderful aroma. Thirty-five minutes later, it was looking a little on the brown side, so I tested it and pulled it out of the oven. Ten minutes later I returned to the kitchen to check on my cooling loaves, only to find them collapsed in the middle. Sadness...great sadness. After all, it was 9:45 at night and bed was beginning to look pretty good. I plopped myself down in front of the computer to find something easy.....and amazing....that would fill the bill. However, I was like a zombie staring at the screen....on and on and on...and on...and nothing suited me. FINALLY, I pulled myself up from my computer chair, staggered into the kitchen and reverted to one of my newly-favorite recipes....with Valentine's Day revisions. They turned out sooooo cute and the coffee shop owner noted how soft they are! You certainly don't have to wait for V-day to make this recipe.....it's tasty and tender in any shape. Enjoy it with someone you LOVE!  

Choco-Chip Banana Bread Hearts

½ Cup milk

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast 

½ Cup mashed bananas (about 2 ripe bananas)

1 egg

2 Tbsp. butter

2 ½ -2 ¾ Cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. salt

1/3 Cup mini chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

For topping:

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

Coarse sugar, additional mini-chips

Warm the milk slightly and pour into the EZ DOH bucket. Add yeast and dissolve. Let sit 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and EZ DOH-it until dough is smooth, 2-3 minutes. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray and return the dough to the bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled. Remove dough from bucket and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. With the side of your hand, lightly roll one end of each ball until it forms a point. Opposite the “point”, use a pair of kitchen shears and make a 1” cut. Separate to make a “heart” shape. Place each roll on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise till puffy, about 20-30 minutes.  Lightly beat one egg with a tablespoon of water and brush over the rolls. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and additional mini chips. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from "Bread Machine Baking" 

A Delicious Valentine - Chocolate Chip Banana Rolls!