Our family eats a lot of bananas, but ever so often a few get to the point where my kids find them too ripe to eat plain… I then know it is time to whip-up some banana bread (click here to see another use for ripe bananas). This recipe has been my tried and true recipe for a while.
My daughter has a wheat allergy, so a few years ago I began experimenting with alternative flours. I know I have a winning recipe when my husband (who does not have a wheat allergy) gives them the thumbs up.
This recipe tends to be healthier than most because it uses nut flours as the base (coconut and almond) which are much lower on the glycemic index than regular flours. I also do not use sugar in this recipe. The bananas in themselves are very sweet since they are so ripe. I do add some Somersweet (which was created by Suzanne Somers). Somersweet uses inulin which comes from chicory and is a pre-biotic. If you do not have Somersweet on hand, you can substitute sugar (coconut sugar or brown sugar). Coconut oil is also a very beneficial and nutritious.
DRY INGREDIENTS 1 cup blanched almond flour 1 cup coconut flour 2/3 cup Somersweet 2 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. xanthan gum 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon ½ cup coconut oil * 2 handfuls pecans (chopped) ** 1/3 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips ** * will be mixed in with the dry ingredients with a pastry blender ** will be mixed in once the batter has been made WET INGREDIENTS 1 cup vanilla So Delicious Coconut Yogurt OR applesauce 2/3 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk 1 tsp. vanilla 3 bananas (mashed) 4 eggs OR the equivalent Ener G Egg Replacer Preheat oven to 325˚.Grease the bottom and sides of your muffin tins with coconut oil (I use a mini crumb cake pan).
Grease the Pan
Combine all of the dry ingredients (except for the coconut oil, pecans, and chocolate chips) in a bowl and whisk them to incorporate.
Whisk All of the Dry Ingredients
Once the dry ingredients are well mixed, add the coconut oil into the mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender. You want the coconut oil to break into lots of tiny pieces so that when you add the wet ingredients you won’t have large chunks of coconut oil throughout your batter (this step is very important).
Blend in the Coconut Oil
Slice the bananas into a separate bowl and then mash them being sure to leave some chunks.
I Use a Potato Masher
Add the rest of the wet ingredients into the bowl with the bananas and mix well.
Add in the Wet Ingredients
Next combine the wet ingredients with the dry and mix to combine. The batter will not be runny, but will hold together fairly well.
Incorporate Wet & Dry IngredientsBatter Texture Pre- Pecans & Chocolate Chips
Batter Texture Pre- Pecans & Chocolate Chips
Once the batter is fully mixed, add in the pecans and chocolate chips.
I use an ice cream scoop (approximately 1/3 cup) to fill my muffin tins and make them uniform so they cook evenly. Once you have filled the muffin tins, push them down to flatten.
Using and Ice Cream Scoop
Flatten the Muffins
If you have any remaining batter, put it into a zip lock bag, flatten it, and remove all of the air bubbles. This batter freezes well.
Freeze Remaining Batter
Bake the muffins for 30-40 minutes (depending upon your muffin tin). Turn the pan 180˚ halfway through the bake time.
Once they are nice and brown and the middle of the muffin is set, remove from the oven.
Nice & Brown
Let the muffins rest for 5 minutes and then transfer them to cooling racks. It is very important to allow the muffins to cool so they firm/set-up. The texture of the muffin won’t be at its best until it is room temperature (not that my kids ever wait that long).
Cooling Racks
Once they have cooled enjoy!
For a printable version of this recipe click here
Looks yummy. Any idea what the calorie count is on a “regular” serving size muffin?
I don’t know the calorie count… I am not a calorie counter…I just try to eat well balanced and varied. I suppose one could go to a calorie counting website, figure out the calories of all of the ingredients, add them up, and then divide by 16.
I love the concept of coconut and almond flour…
but I must admit xanthum gum as an ingredient totally freaks me out… probably because I’m not even sure I’m pronouncing it right?! 😉
Don’t fear the xanthum gum… In gluten-free baking, xanthan gum helps add viscosity and stretchy give to batters and doughs. “Normal” flours have gluten in them and do not need to have anything added to them for this result.
Gret,
First of all it is amazing to me that I have been gravitating in the same direction for my diet needs based on the allergies that I have had and here we are on the same wavelength. Funny. Maybe genetics? I would like to try this recipe since I am at the point where all I am eating lately to supplement something crunchy or something baked is Flackers. I totally miss anything resembling real food since I have not been doing this for very long. I am curious about the Somersweet. What is in it? Where can I get it? Are there any other alternatives other than that product that us sugar free chefs can use? Funny. I have xanthum gum and have not found until now something to use it in. 🙂
How has all of that been going for you? It can be a shock to the system to make such a drastic change, but your body will thank you! Is your family on board with it?
Somersweet was created by Suzanne Somers. Check out the link http://www.suzannesomers.com/somersweet-all-natural-sweetener/
You could substitute coconut sugar in the recipe. If pressed you could try xylitol, but I tend to think it has an aftertaste.
I am glad you can now use your xanthum gum :-). I also use it in salad dressing to thicken the dressing and help it bind together.
Wish we could have been there to taste-test your banana bread, it looks so good! Guess we’ll have to bake it for ourselves—and you know what? We can’t wait! Thanks so much for sharing the deliciousness.
Ooo – I’d never heard of sommersweet. Looks interesting and intriguing. I drink a tea with chicory and I’m always amazed at how sweet it tastes. I might have to try this…..
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