My parents were supposed to come visit this weekend, but the wicked ice storm north of us forced them to cancel their trip. That meant we had an entire weekend with no plans, which never happens. It's been amazing! We've had a good balance of running errands and relaxing at home.
It was gray and rainy all weekend, which is perfect baking weather. I've been trying to develop a healthier banana bread recipe for weeks and I finally came up with a real winner. I experimented with different combinations of fats to try and come up with a loaf that tastes like traditional banana bread but cuts down on the refined sugars.
There's something especially cozy about banana bread. It makes the kitchen smell amazing and it tastes like home. My parents made banana bread quite often when I was growing up and it's always been one of my favorite treats. I'll be making it a lot more often now that I have this healthier recipe.
This is a great way to use up bananas that are on their last legs and it's It's so easy to throw together, even if you aren't a big fan of baking. A loaf of banana bread also makes a great hostess gift if you're visiting someone for a weekend. I included some dark chocolate in this recipe, but it can easily be omitted.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 bananas, mashed (the more brown, the better)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup natural almond butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together bananas, eggs, almond milk, almond butter, honey, Greek yogurt, olive oil and vanilla. Stir until combined. Add banana mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Gently fold in dark chocolate.
- Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake on the middle oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 15 minutes before removing it from pan. Serve warm. Allow loaf to cool completely before storing.
