Healthy Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of those classic, comfort food recipes that fills the whole house with warmth and makes everything better. Banana bread is magic. We personally think that banana bread is understated - it's always good!

Unlike traditional banana bread recipes that call for refined flour and lots of processed sugar, this one is made with 100 percent whole wheat flour. It’s naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, which offer some trace nutrients that white sugar does not. Lastly, this one calls for a reasonable amount of good-for-you oil rather than whole sticks of butter (choose from coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil).

Thanks to our friend from C+K for sharing this wholesome yet wonderful recipe.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
• ½ cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)
• ¼ cup milk of choice or water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder; they aren’t the same thing!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
• 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• Optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together 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.)
3. 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. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). 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.