I am a sucker for pastries – all kinds…breads, muffins, croissants, scones, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, donuts, pancakes, waffles, biscuits—I love them all! I’ve got both a sweet tooth and a love for carbs…Which is partly why this Whole30 diet I’ve been on has been a liiiitle difficult! (but necessary!) I made it to the end, though! Hallelujah! Now that I am able to eat these tasty treats again, I’ve learned that my body does a lot better when I lay off the sweets…much to my tastebuds’ dismay…and therefore, I’d love to not fall back into the habit of eating sugar-filled of a diet as I used to. Am I vowing to never eat another slice of chocolate cake again? Forbidding myself to grab a blueberry muffin when I’m out to coffee with a friend? No! But, I do want to make better choices for my body on a more regular basis, and of course, still treat myself every now and then with the not-so-healthy, but oh-so-good sugary treats.
So, in this mindset, and after recently creating a recipe for a friend of mine who has some dietary restrictions (gluten-free and no refined sugar), I realized that this recipe I came up with would be great for myself and this new way of eating! It’s got no added sugar, other than honey, is moist from the applesauce, full of omega-3 with the nutty flax seed and crunchy walnuts, and has tons of flavor with the banana, cinnamon, and peanut butter. It can be made with regular flour, or easily made gluten-free by replacing the regular flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour. In my opinion, this bread is just as good as any old sugar-filled pastry!
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Makes one standard 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread loaf; about 10-12 slices
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas
- ½ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (regular or gluten-free; I used gluten-free)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts, plus a few to top the loaf with
- ½ cup crunchy peanut butter (Laura Scudder’s brand is my personal favorite)
Directions:
In a standing mixer, mash up the bananas, and then add the honey, eggs, vanilla, applesauce and coconut oil.
Then, in another bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flax seed.
Turn the mixer back on the lowest speed and slowly add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Once incorporated, add the chopped walnuts and mix until combined.
Spray a bread pan with cooking spray and pour in the batter.
Then, melt the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds, and swirl into the top of the batter. Top with walnut halves.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 mins.
Enjoy!
*Tip: Not going to finish a whole loaf in time before it goes bad? Slice it up and freeze half. When you’re ready to eat some more, either take it out and let it defrost at room temperature for about 20 mins, or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds.
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