Healthy banana bread

Baked with whole wheat flour & natural sweeteners 

Overripe bananas are such a great excuse for baking. Thanks to those wonderfully brown, mushy fruits, I've whipped up simple banana muffins, banana muffins with bran, banana-oat pancakes, banana cake, (my favorite!) Biscoff banana bread. Well the banana bread I'm sharing today isn't topped with a cookie crumble — I wanted to try a healthier take. So I turned to a recipe from Cookie & Kate, as Kate hasn't failed me yet. I'm happy to say this one's a winner, too!

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HEALTHY BANANA BREAD

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (can sub olive or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup honey or pure maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2–3 bananas) 
1/4 cup milk of choice (can be dairy free) 
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup mix-ins like walnuts or pecans or chocolate chips (optional)

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a bread loaf pan. Allow your ingredients to come to room temperature (take the eggs and milk out of the fridge and let them rest on the counter for 10–20 minutes as you do your prep work). 

2. In a large bowl, use a whisk to beat the oil and honey/maple syrup together. Add the eggs and whisk well, then whisk in mashed bananas and milk. *Note: If your coconut oil solidifies upon contact with the other ingredients, let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes or microwave for about 10 seconds.

3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend. Switch to a big spoon and stir in flour, stirring until just combined (some lumps are ok). If your'e adding any mix-ins, gently fold them into the batter. 

4. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool before slicing. 

*Note: To make this bread as muffins, divide the batter between greased or lined muffin cups. Bake at 325 for about 23 minutes. 

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Coconut oil works really nicely in this recipe — if you can avoid using olive or vegetable oil, do it! You can also try replacing the oil with applesauce, if that's what you have on hand. As for honey vs. maple syrup, I ended up using half and half, simply because I was running low on both at the time. 

Overall, this bread turned out great! The texture is whole wheat-y — definitely more dense and textured than your typical banana bread. But the flavor is spot on. I'd say it's best warm and topped with a little butter — and cinnamon butter would be an absolute dream.