Sharing one of my favorite (and first) recipes with updated pictures. This embarrassingly easy recipe is one of the most popular paleo treats on the blog. Guys, your support means the world to me! Thank you x 10000! p.s. this recipe can also be baked into muffins!
Banana Bread was the first thing I ever baked. I was a lanky, red-haired & chatty 3rd grader attending an all-girls summer camp called “Club Alamar” along with some fellow classmates. It was a half-day camp & it involved dance & cooking classes; among other activities. This place was a lot of fun. Like, a ton of fun. Baking with other girls my age was definitely the best part. At the end of summer camp, we received a little, laminated recipe book composed of all the recipes we had tried out. And I just went back home & really ran with that little book. It was my first “baking bible” & the chocolate splattered pages told a story. I would remove each page from it’s laminated holder and hold it really close to my face (almost touching my nose) while perusing the ingredient list & go through the baking steps. I knew right then & there baking would be a lifelong passion.
I baked constantly & feverishly. I loved school bake sales because they gave me a chance to bring my goodies and see how quickly they would sell out. I took great pride as a little girl in retrieving my empty platters from the goody table and saying: “All sold out”. Pretty sure everyone who attended York University a decade later with me and lived in Tatham Hall would probably recall the smell of rich, fudgy chocolate cakes baking in the common room kitchen. Yep, that was me. I was also known for my light and fluffy strawberry shortcake.
This banana bread brings me back to my early baking days; albeit with a few modifications. This bread uses coconut flour; one of the most-affordable gluten-free, grain-free flours around. A medium-sized bag is under $8.00 and it goes a long, long, way. It’s perhaps the most absorbent flour I have ever seen. I can produce a chunky loaf of banana bread on merely 1/2 cup of coconut flour. If I were using pricier almond flour, that would require at least 1.5 to 2 cups. Coconut flour is literally a 3:1 ratio when it comes to quantity.
This bread will make your house smell HEAVENLY & you’ll feel the need to deeply inhale, more than once. The secret behind it’s super moist texture is 1/2 cup of all-natural peanut butter. It gives it great moisture and flavor, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s also refined-sugar free & only relies on 4 bananas & 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup. It’s also butter-free, and we use a bit of coconut oil. The best part- it’s super easy! Minimal dish-dirtying involved, too. You can use an electric hand mixer or your food processor or your blender. Good mixing is key for amazing results. Enjoy it!!
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of coconut flour (*if you substitute w/ other flours, a much larger amount of flour would be needed, read above)
- 1 cup of dark chocolate chunks or chips (leave 1/4 behind for sprinkles)
- 1/2 cup organic all-natural peanut butter melted (or sunflower or almond butter)
- 3-4 large, very ripe bananas. Not frozen ones.
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (love Madagascar vanilla!)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp of organic coconut oil
- handful of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to 350 F & line a large loaf pan with parchment paper. You can also bake this in a standard cake pan.
- In a blender or food processor add: bananas, peanut butter, eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon & vanilla. Blend for about 20-30 secs or until smooth.
- Add the baking soda & coconut flour to the mix. Blend for another 20-30 secs or until smooth.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks or chocolate chips into the batter. Do not blend.
- Pour into the baking pan and bake for 50-60 mins. Always check at the 50 min mark, all ovens vary. Insert a knife in the centre & check to see if it comes out mostly clean. If it does, it’s done!
Notes
Do not slice/cut until it has completely cooled down and settled. It always tastes better the next day. For best results, cover with foil & store in the refrigerator for the next 3-5 days. Enjoy!
Happy Eating, Friends!
Pan de Banano con Chocolate y Mantequilla de Maní
Ingredientes
- 1/2 taza de harina de coco ( cualquier otro tipo de harina involucra una cantidad mucho mayor de la misma)
- 1 de taza de chips o trozos de chocolate (dejar 1/4 taza para deja para el topping)
- 1/2 taza de mantequilla de maní natural (se puede usar mantequilla de almendra)
- 1/3 taza de jarabe de maple puro
- 4 bananos grandes, bien maduros y sin congelar
- 3 huevos
- 1 cucharadita de polvo para hornear
- 1 cucharada de extracto de vainilla puro
- 1 cucharadita de canela
- 4 cucharadas de aceite de coco natural
- nueces en trozos (opcional)
Instrucciones
- Encender el horno a 350F y alinear un molde para hornear pan con papel pergamino
- En una licuadora, procesador de comida o usando batidora eléctrica se mezclan: los huevos, bananos, jarabe de maple, mantequilla de maní, vainilla, canela, y aceite de coco. Licuar por 30 segundos o hasta obtener una mezcla uniforme.
- Luego se agrega la harina de coco y el polvo para hornear y se bate otros 30 segundos o hasta obtener una mezcla uniforme.
- Agregar la taza con las chispas o trozos de chocolate y mezclar a mano, no se bate el chocolate! Me gusta que las chispas se derritan en el horno y que se vean en el pan.
- Pasar la mezcla al molde para hornear y opcional: se le pueden dejar caer mas chispas de chocolate en la parte de arriba. Hornear por 50-60 minutos. Para que la parte de abajo del pan no se queme, pongo el molde de pan sobre un molde plano para galletas.
- A los 50 minutos, chequearlo y ver si sale un cuchillo limpio al introducirlo al centro del pan. Si sale casi limpio, ya esta listo!
Debe esperar a que se enfríe completamente antes de cortarlo para servir. Este pan de banano sabe aun mejor al día siguiente. Yo lo cubro con papel de aluminio y lo guardo en la refri por 3-5 días.
Que lo disfruten!
Great recipe to make 🙂
Ever made in muffin tins?