Banana and chocolate chunk squares

I'm back with another way to use up ripe and squishy bananas. You know, the ones sitting boldly in the fruit bowl that no-one in the family will eat. All the yellow bananas go, and you're still left with that ripe one, eyeing you balefully and reproachfully, saying 'use me up, I'm nice and sweet'. No? Just me?

I'm beginning to suspect that the bananas I buy multiply in my fruit bowl overnight. But in all honesty I know that it's the combination of disorganisation and bad memory that leads to the squashy bananas in my fruit bowl. However, this is another way to use them up. I spotted the recipe on Delia Smiths website a while back, but had forgotten about it until now. Searching for something new to bake with over-ripe bananas I came across it again and decided now was the time to try it. Banana and chocolate chip slice. As ever, I've made the recipe slightly differently - I left off the topping because it was for work and there's no-where to store cakes that need to be refrigerated, and it makes it difficult to transport..... (and I'm lazy - but lets forget that last point shall we.....).

Banana and chocolate chunk squares
Ingredients

2 large, ripe bananas, peeled and chopped into 1cm chunks (I halved mine lengthways and then sliced in the required size)

75g dark chocolate, chopped (I did larger chunks, you could go smaller if you want to)

250g self raising flour

150g butter (I softened mine a little, because I find it easier to rub in - I don't know how Delia expects me to rub in fridge cold butter!!!)

150g golden caster sugar

Method
- Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180C. Grease and line an 8" square tin (or a 6 x 10" rectangular tin)
- Sift the flour into a large bowl.
- Add the butter and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (you can do this stage in a food processor, if you like - perhaps that's how she uses fridge cold butter then!!!).
- Next, stir in the sugar, chopped bananas and the chocolate (it will look like a crumble mix at this stage).
- Press the mixture evenly into the greased and lined tin and bake it on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or until it is firm to touch in the centre and lightly golden. Mine took longer than 40 minutes, by quite a bit (but unfortunately I can't remember exactly how much longer.....) and it was never firm in the middle, but it didn't dry out or suffer really, so that's ok!
- Leave the slice in the tin until it is cold, then remove and carefully cut into squares. I did 16.

I liked the contrasting textures in this - the topping was sort of crunchy and crumbly, whereas the interior was squashy and banana-ry with nice chunks of slightly bitter chocolate to counteract the sweetness of the banana and shortbready cake.

My colleagues loved it and it rapidly disappeared. I have to confess though, that this isn't my favourite way of using up bananas - I found the interior too squashy. I think I was the only one though - all my colleagues liked it, as did J!!!