chocolate banana bread

This is a great dessert without loads of fat or oil or the regular bad stuff that is included in most desserts, and the sugar only comes from the chocolate and fruit.

This recipe comes from "Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta" a spa in Mexico where my friend visited. The recipe itself is the same but I thought the instructions were slightly complicated to follow so I've altered them to make it easier.

• 2 cups water
• 12 oz pitted prunes
• 2 medium ripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c all purpose or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 c walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 c banana chips, broken into small pieces
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter an 8-cup (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch) loaf pan, and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, leaving the parchment long enough to grab on each of the long sides of the pan. This is what makes it so easy to remove when its done baking.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the water and prunes and bring to a simmer. Simmer slowly for about 30 minutes until the prunes are very soft, about 30 minutes. While that it cooking...
   
3. Toss the banana chips and walnuts into a food processor quickly to chop into small pieces and set aside.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda in a large bowl (bowl of your powder mixer if you have one). Leave in the bowl.
   
5. Once the prunes are soft (see #2), drain the liquid. Put prunes, bananas and eggs into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry flour mixture and blend or stir until combined.
6. Gently add the banana chips, walnuts and chocolate chips and combine well.
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes (my oven takes 59). Bake until you can insert a knife easily and remove it clean, with only the potential melted chocolate on the knife.
   
8. Once removed from the oven, use the extra parchment on the sides to remove the loaf and put on a cooling rack. Slide the parchment out from under the loaf. (Doing this instead of turning the loaf out will keep it from breaking or flattening the rounded, peaked top of the loaf.)
9. Once cooled, cut into thin slices to serve.