Clean Banana Bread
This was a good one and my oh my did the house smell heavenly! I am always on the lookout for clean baked goods recipes that don’t include refined flour and processed sugar and this one from COOKIE & Kate fit the bill perfectly. Strangely, banana bread recipes always appear to have a lot of added sugar despite the fact that bananas already add quite a bit of natural sweetness. I often cook up batches of muffins that I can freeze and pull-out for quick lunchbox items but decided to go with the bread loaf recipe this time. You could easily make these into muffins though. After the bread cooled I cut it into slices, wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Each night before I go to bed I pull something out for the kid’s lunch boxes the next day.
A huge bonus is that you can whip this all up in one bowl with nothing more than a whisk and a spoon!
Ingredients:
⅓ cup melted coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
¼ cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1¾ cups white whole wheat flour (gluten-free flour will also work)
*Optional add-ins: chocolate chips, raisins, chopped walnuts…
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan (I’m a big fan of the coconut oil spray that you can get at Trader Joe’s).
In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey or maple syrup together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Lumps are totally fine. If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
ENJOY!
