“Health Nut” Banana Bread
Banana bread is one of the ultimate comfort foods. I have played around with so many versions of banana bread, from my mom’s secret recipe (a classic banana bread) to loaded up with chocolate chips and slathered with whipped cream cheese (I know, I’m doing crunches right now as I think about it). This time, I looked at those two slightly forgotten about, I-promise-I’ll-eat-you-tomorrow, brown-spotted bananas on the counter and wondered “what would a healthier version of banana bread look like”?? So, I surveyed my seed, nut, grain, and spice cart and got a little creative.
I love banana bread, but the classic recipes include quite a bit of white flour, butter, and sugar. (I might be drooling…) I wanted a drool-worthy banana bread that’s healthy too. I replaced the all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and some almond flour, replaced the sugar with maple syrup (you could also use honey), and used coconut oil instead of butter. Then, a dollop of almond butter, some nuts, seeds, spices, raisins, and dates. As a special treat, I used organic vanilla bean paste, but vanilla extract is perfectly fine too. The healthy fats combine to create the most moist banana bread I’ve ever had, and instead of drying out this banana bread actually gets more moist over time! This banana bread is delicious, guilt- and gluten-free!
Banana bread is a “forgiving” recipe! Get creative; you can alter your recipe in so many ways. Have fun!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee (to grease the loaf pan)
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I prefer Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla bean extract)
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 tablespoon creamy almond butter
- 1/4 cup flax, hemp or chia seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts (cashews, pecans or walnuts)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (or chopped dates...or both)
- 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with Ghee and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the gluten-free & almond flours, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, yogurt, vanilla bean paste (or extract) until smooth. Stir in the mashed bananas, almond butter, seeds, nuts, and raisins / dates.
Pour the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle the top with coconut palm sugar (or other raw sugar).
Bake for 55-60 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). Cool for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with topping of your choice. Almond butter is great!
https://www.travelynneats.com/2019/01/14/health-nut-banana-bread/
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