Part of being a food blogger is trying out new recipes and experimenting with different flavor/ingredient combinations.
But sometimes, I don’t want to try new things. While about half of the recipes I make during any given week are new, I try to recycle old favorites too. Many recipes are worth making again and again. Like these Coconut Lemon Oatmeal Waffles, Copycat Cheesecake Factory BBQ Ranch Salads, Toffee Chocolate Shortbread Bars or this Artichoke + Asparagus Thin Crust Pizza.
Then there is the classic banana bread. Aside from cookies, it is one of the quintessential recipes of my dessert archive. I’ve tried all kinds of variations on this crowd pleaser over the years, and it seems that my latest version has taken the cake (husband approved!).
The real star of this loaf is the rich nutty flavor. A combination of almond meal (almonds ground in a food processor to make a fine meal) and almond butter create a richness like none other. Licking the spatula is definitely mandatory here.
Baker’s tip: If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, melted butter will work just fine.
- 1 cup all-purpose gluten free 1:1 flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 medium banana (overripe with spots)
- 1/4 cup creamy almond butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and grease a loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Using a whisk, mix in the almond butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, almond meal, baking soda and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir until the batter is smooth.
- Pour batter into the pan and use a spatula to smooth out the top. Bake 60-75 minutes, until a knife inserted into the loaf comes out clean.*
- Transfer bread to a wired rack and let cool.
- *Check loaf at 30 minutes and if it appears brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking.
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