Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

April 21, 2015 ~ by Anna Busby

 

For the past several days I’ve been craving something sweet. Specifically something involving a key ingredient to a happy life, chocolate. While sometimes, a bowl of fresh strawberries will somewhat subdue the craving, there are other times where something else is warranted. So I bought a bundle of bananas last week and have been patiently awaiting them to reach peak ripeness so I could make this recipe.

Healthy and Wholesome Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or other flour of choice i.e. oat, rice etc)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1 1/2 cup mashed banana (I used 3 large ripe, speckled bananas)
• 1/2-3/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• other add-ins as desired, chopped pecans or walnuts, cranberries, raisins

1. Grease one large bread pan or 2 small ones. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix together in a large bowl eggs, honey, applesauce and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until blended then add mashed bananas to mixture. Add chocolate chips and any other desired mix-ins.
4. Pour mixture into bread pan(s) and bake for 45-55 minutes until when a toothpick is inserted, it comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, cut into slices and enjoy!

 12 servings per recipe. 

Nutrition info per serving: 217 calories, 42g carbs, 25g sugar, 5g fat, 5g protein.

Recipe adapted from Yammie’s Gluten Freedom.

More cake like than bread-like this recipe is a perfect, healthy go-to to satisfy those chocolate, sweet cravings. And you don’t have to feel guilty about having a slice because with whole food ingredients like banana, applesauce, honey and eggs and whole wheat flour as the base, this is actually quite the healthy sweet treat. I ended my day today with a steaming slice of this delicious treat and a cold glass of milk. Tomorrow morning I’ll probably treat myself again to a toasted slice as a post-workout treat with a hot cup of coffee. An active body loves nothing more than whole grains and whole foods!