Brownie Banana Bread

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Line the bottom of an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment or foil, leaving a few inches of excess hanging on either side to create flaps. Grease the pan; if using foil, grease the foil, too.

Melt the butter: In a medium-high-sided skillet or large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan from time to time so the butter melts evenly.

Make the batter: Remove the pan from heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the sugar and salt; the mixture will be a lumpy, stiff mess, but that's fine. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Put some muscle into it. The mixture should now be very smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour all at once. Switch to a spatula and vigorously beat in the flour, beating for 50 strokes to create a smooth batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out with no wet streaks, about 25 minutes.

Cool completely on a wire rack, then cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Use the parchment or foil handles to lift the cold, uncut brownie out of the pan onto a cutting board. Cut in half; set the other half aside.

Cut the chilled half-brownie into 1/2-inch chunks. This is what goes into the banana bread. You should have about 290 grams, or 2 to 2 1/2 cups of chunks.

The remaining brownies you can just eat or save for later.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Melt the butter: In a small saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Set aside.

Make the banana bread batter: In a large bowl, mash the bananas as best you can using a whisk. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously; the sugar should help the bananas break down. Whisk in the egg, vanilla, and salt, then the melted butter. Switch to a spatula and fold in the flour and baking soda just until combined. If the batter is thick like cement, add a few tablespoons of water to thin it out.

Fold in the brownie chunks just enough to distribute them throughout the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the loaf until the center of the top springs back when you gently press it with your fingertip, about 1 hour.

Set the pan on a cooling rack and let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and cool completely.

Store: Well wrapped, the bread will keep on the countertop for about 3 days. It also freezes beautifully.