This Chunky Monkey Babka is heavenly…

Originally Published 01/26/2022

When we first moved to Clarksville, there was a coffee shop downtown that served a drink called the Chunky Monkey. Of course, as the name implies, it was a chocolate banana drink, and it was delicious!

Some people might not be fans of the chocolate banana combo, but I think it’s the bee’s knees! I was trying to think up a way of turning this drink into a dessert and thought of babka! The only problem with desserts like babka and cinnamon rolls is the act of rolling it up. It’s so frustrating when all the delicious filling is just squishing out the front and sides. Bananas are slippery on a good day so not an ideal candidate for rolling.

But my oh-so ingenious hubby said why not use banana chips! And thus the Chunky Monkey Babka came into glorious existence. It’s bready, it’s chocolatey, it’s perfectly sweet, and the banana chips add some texture, crunch, and hint of flavor…It’s also so beautiful when it’s baked and makes you look like a star baker when it’s quite simple to put together! If chocolate and banana are a flavor you love, then this Chunky Monkey Babka recipe is for you!

First things first, to make this Chunky Monkey Babka, we have to make the dough.

The dough for this recipe is the same dough I use for my Brioche Cinnamon Rolls.

It’s delicious all on its own and a super easy dough to work with. It’s not too wet/sticky and it holds together well when working with it. So grab out your Kitchenaid mixer and dough hook attachment. Start by adding 1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup warm whole milk, and 2 1/4 tsp yeast. Next, throw in the 6 tbsp of salted butter,  two room-temperature eggs, and 1 tsp of vanilla. Give that all a swirl so it’s roughly mixed.

I like to add the 3 3/4 cup of flour first and then sprinkle the salt and cinnamon on top of it before mixing the flour into the wet ingredients until the dough comes together.

After you’ve made the Chunky Monkey Babka dough,

it needs to rise for an hour. So just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it somewhere warm.

While it’s rising, measure out and chop up a cup of dehydrated banana chips. Once the dough has risen, divide it in half and roll the first half out into a 10″x10″ square. Smother that puppy with a 1/4 cup of Nutella and sprinkle the top with banana chip pieces.

Roll it up, slice it down the middle, and twist it together! That’s it! No braiding is necessary. But it looks so impressive, right? Repeat those steps with the second lump of dough, place them in the parchment-lined tins, and let your Chunky Monkey Babkas rise for another 45 minutes.

Once your Chunky Monkey Babkas have risen for the second time,

it’s time to bake!

This recipe is so easy that I feel like I’m forgetting things. Like there should be more I need to explain. It is just that simple though!

Place the babkas on the middle rack of the oven and bake them at 350° for 30 minutes. 

They should look risen and a nice golden brown color when they’re ready to come out!

I have more pictures in this post of the Chunky Monkey Babka than I do instructions.

I guess I should have just made a swipe through gallery of all the images lol. I mean, how many pictures of Babka can you take? The very first picture on this post was one I entered in an Instagram food photo challenge. 

The theme was “Inspired” and we were told to look through a really amazing artist’s work and create our own work based on the inspiration we took from hers! The lady’s name is Betty Binon and her Instagram is stemsandforks

Her food photography is simply stunning, masterful, and poetic! Someone to emulate. You should go take a look at her account and see what I mean!

Print Recipe

Chunky Monkey Babka

This Chunky Monkey Babka is filled with chocolatey Nutella and the perfect crunch of banana chips. Looks complicated, but it’s actually really easy to make!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Rising Time1 hour hr 41 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 31 minutes mins

Course: Bread, Brunch, Dessert

Servings: 2 loaves

Equipment

• Kitchenaid Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Rubber Spatula
• Food Chopper
• Knife
• 2 9×13 Loaf Pans
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Babka Dough

• 3/4 Cup Whole Milk warm
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp Yeast
• 6 tbsp Salted Butter room temperature
• 2 Eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

Babka Filling

• 1 Cup Chopped Dehydrated Banana Chips divided
• 1/2 Cup Nutella divided

Instructions

Babka Dough

• Line two 9×13″ loaf pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil.
• In your Kitchenaid mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add in the sugar, warm whole milk, and then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes to activate.
• Next, add the room temperature butter and eggs as well as the vanilla extract, mix briefly with the dough hook. It won’t come together much and will look lumpy.
• Lastly, add in the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix for 5 minutes or until everything comes together to form a fairly smooth dough. The dough should not be super sticky, if it is add 31 grams (or 1/4 cup) more flour.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 45-60 minutes.

Roll out and Roll-up

• After the babka dough has risen, divide the dough equally in half. Roll out the first half into a 10×10″ square. Cover the square evenly with a 1/4 cup of Nutella and then sprinkle with chopped banana chips. Roll the dough up into a log and then slice the log down the middle to separate into two halves. Twist the two halves together being careful to keep the seams filled with Nutella facing up. Pinch the ends together and place the babka loaf in the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Cover both loaf tins with plastic wrap and let the babka rise somewhere warm for another 45 minutes.
• Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°. Once the babka loaves have finished rising a second time, place them in the oven on the middle rack and bake them at 350° for 30 minutes. The babka loaves are finished baking when they have risen and a nice golden brown all over.
• Remove them from the oven and use the edges of the parchment paper to lift them out of their loaf pans. Let them cool on a cooling rack before slicing, serving, and enjoying!

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