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The only thing better than banana bread? Koko Samoa banana bread. Classic and moist banana bread, but with a smokey, roasty, and cocoa-y twist!

First: what is Koko Samoa?

Koko Samoa is a traditional drink is the island nation of Samoa; in fact, it is considered a national drink! It is very much so a part of the island culture and lifestyle. Made from cacao pods, the beans are cleaned and sun-dried for storage, then roasted and ground into a paste-like substance. The paste is mixed with water, boiled, and then sweetened to taste, usually with raw sugar. This bittersweet dark chocolate drink has the most amazing depth to it; roasty and smokey, but rich and sweet (when sweetened). Truthfully, I prefer it unsweetened! While I am not a coffee drinker, I imagine the taste of unsweetened Koko to be similar to strong black coffee.

I was first introduced to Koko Samoa by my “palangi” husband; he lived in Samoa for a couple of years while on a proselyting mission for our church. I was so impressed by the flavor (and smell) of Koko! I was also interested in the many ways it can be used: brownies, coconut sweet rolls, and Koko Araisa (sweet coconut koko rice).

Where to buy Koko Samoa

Koko Samoa can sometimes be found in your local Asian market; while we lived in the state of Utah, there was actually a Polynesian market where we were able to buy “bricks!” However, it can sometimes be hard to find, especially when it isn’t prime Koko season…

But fear not! We recently came across the company The Koko Samoa and just HAD to try it out; they sell instant Koko and Koko pods. The process of making Koko Samoa from the brick can be somewhat labor intensive, but this instant Koko is SO easy to make. While we feel it isn’t quite as smokey as fresh Koko, it definitely gets the Silver medal: we are totally hooked! We also love that it is on Amazon!

Koko Samoa caffeine content

Fun fact: Koko Samoa doesn’t ACTUALLY have caffeine in it. It has theobromine, which has similar effects as caffeine, as they are both alkaloids. However, it is not as potent as caffeine.

Koko Samoa Banana Bread Recipe ingredients

• Bananas: very ripe and well mashed
• Egg
• Buttermilk: can also sub sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Brewed Koko Samoa: I use instant koko from The Koko Samoa
• Vanilla extract
• Instant Koko powder
• Butter: can sub coconut oil
• Granulated sugar
• All purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt

Recommended Supplies:

• Stand mixer
• Frother
• Loaf pan
• Parchment paper
• Cooling rack

How to make Banana Bread with Buttermilk and Koko Samoa

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease or line a 9X5-inch loaf pan.
2. Brew your Koko Samoa and make it STRONG. My method? I use the Instant Koko sachets from The Koko Samoa; I reserve 1 tsp of the granules and put the rest of the sachet into 1/2 cup of boiling water to “brew” for awhile. Let it cool down a bit before pouring it into the mixture later…you don’t want to scramble the egg!
3. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl; I like just throwing them into the bowl of my KitchenAid and letting it mash them for me. Once mashed, add in the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Then add in the cool brewed Koko Samoa and Koko Samoa granules.

4. Next, stir in the melted butter and the sugar and mix until it is completely incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together your dry ingredients. Add this mixture into the wet ingredients and mix just until there are no dry streaks left. The batter will be lumpy!

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for about an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Mine literally comes out PERFECTLY at one hour on the dot, but every oven is different!
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Finish cooling the bread on a cooling rack.

Easy Banana Bread Recipe variations

• Koko substitute: Don’t have Koko Samoa? Bummer! You can substitute it for brewed unsweetened cocoa powder. It won’t have the same depth to it, but the texture and taste will be similar.
• Buttermilk substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can definitely substitute it straight across for plain or vanilla Greek Yogurt, or sour cream!
• Add Ins: try adding in 1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and/or chopped nuts!
• Top It: we rarely do this because of the extra sugar, but every once and awhile I will sprinkle my bread with 1/4 cup brown sugar right before it goes in the oven. It crystalizes a bit and oh man…it’s SO good.

Koko Samoa Banana Bread Recipe

• 3 bananas: very ripe, mashed well
• 1 egg: at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk: can also sub sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 2 ounces strongly brewed Koko Samoa:
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant Koko powder
• 1/3 cup melted butter: can sub melted coconut oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease or line a 9X5-inch loaf pan.
2. Brew your Koko Samoa and make it STRONG. I use Instant Koko from The Koko Samoa; I reserve 1 tsp of the granules and put the rest of the sachet in 1/2 cup of boiling water to brew.
3. Meanwhile, mash the bananas in a mixing bowl and mix in the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Then add in the brewed Koko Samoa and Koko Samoa granules.
4. Next, stir in the melted butter and the sugar and mix until it is completely incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture into the wet ingredients and stir just until there are no dry streaks left. The batter will still be lumpy.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for about an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Finish cooling the bread on a cooling rack.

I would love to hear what you think of this recipe–let me know in the comments below. 🙂 Cheers!