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Little changes making a big difference.


Paleo Banana Bread

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Perfectly soft and tender paleo banana bread sweetened with maple syrup and made with wholesome ingredients, but it tastes just like the classic treat!

Paleo Banana Bread: Ultra soft and tender, sweetened with maple syrup

How do you like your bananas? I used to love mine when they got the perfectly speckled with little brown dots–you know soft and sweet, but not mushy? Not a hint of green on them. Then when I started eating them before running, something changed and as soon as they got the slightest bit of brown I was done for, and I had to wait for them to get even more ripe and make them into banana bread. That’s when I started making a lot of banana bread.

Paleo Banana Bread: Ultra soft and tender, sweetened with maple syrup

And somehow I still always end up with unused bananas, so like once a week I end up telling myself I’m going to make banana bread. Usually I forget until the bananas are too far gone, but this batch was so freaking easy to whip up, and it might be the softest banana bread, like, ever.

Paleo Banana Bread: Ultra soft and tender, sweetened with maple syrup

My friend Lisa was coming over for dinner, and she told me she was eating paleo, so when she arrived I told her I made her a paleo dessert, which I don’t think she even knew could exist because she was like “HOW????” I am pretty set against following specific diets for myself, but I love experimenting with all sorts, and I really do believe that no matter how you’re eating, you can still enjoy delicious treats. Although I have to admit I did get real tired of ricotta cheese with splenda during those awful South Beach days…

Paleo Banana Bread: Ultra soft and tender, sweetened with maple syrup

Anyway, this banana bread is nothing like that. It is sweetened with maple syrup (which makes everything better, IMO), and it’s made with almond meal. If you haven’t used almond meal for baking yet, you haaaaave to try it. Everything turns out so soft and tender–it’s AWESOME! Between the bananas and the almond meal, it doesn’t need a drop of oil or butter. Just a handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand and you’re good to go!

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Paleo Banana Bread
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Perfectly soft and tender paleo banana bread sweetened with maple syrup and made with wholesome ingredients, but it tastes just like the classic treat!
Ingredients
  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • dash salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl mash bananas. Stir in all remaining ingredients, stirring until smooth and combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake until edges are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 30-40 minutes.
  3. Cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve. Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.

 

 

Salted Caramel Mocha Banana Bread

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Ultra soft banana bread with espresso, dark chocolate and a salted caramel swirl. All the flavors of your favorite cold weather beverage turned into your new favorite banana bread.

Salted Caramel Mocha Banana Bread: Your favorite cold weather beverage in a decadent banana bread! {gf}

So I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I have this teeny, tiny, huge, ridiculous obsession with salted desserts. It all started when Starbucks first released their salted caramel mocha. I turned my nose up, and asked the barista if that was even good. She must have been really convincing because I wasn’t one for trying new things back then, but for some reason I gave it a shot. That was a big mistake.

Salted Caramel Mocha Banana Bread: Your favorite cold weather beverage in a decadent banana bread! {gf}

I’m pretty sure I ended up drinking at least one daily for that entire winter. Ya know that whole balance/self control thing? I don’t really have it. This year I rediscovered Bahama Bucks, and all of the sudden I was going multiple times per week. I am the biggest weakling when it comes to my sweet tooth.

Salted Caramel Mocha Banana Bread: Your favorite cold weather beverage in a decadent banana bread! {gf}

As much as I love dessert, I love the bite and depth of flavor that adding a little salt brings. I don’t love things that are too sweet. Steve drinks his coffee with like 700 sweet ‘n lows (also…really? Why would anyone choose the pink packets???) in his coffee and it always grosses me out! You also won’t find me digging into those loft house sugar cookies that taste like they are made entirely of frosting. I like my dessert with a little attitude.

Salted Caramel Mocha Banana Bread: Your favorite cold weather beverage in a decadent banana bread! {gf}

I must not be alone because this is one of the most popular desserts I have ever made. I brought the leftovers into work and it disappeared in minutes. Everyone kept raving about it and asking for the recipe! So soft, tender and decadent, this will be your go-to snack for to make for your out of town guests this whole holiday season!

 

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Salted Caramel Mocha Banana Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 12-16 slices

Serving Size: 1 slice

Salted Caramel Mocha Banana Bread

Ultra soft banana bread with espresso, dark chocolate and a salted caramel swirl. All the flavors of your favorite cold weather beverage turned into your new favorite banana bread.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups gluten-free baking blend (or white whole wheat flour)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 extra ripe medium bananas, mashed
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk*
  • 1/2 cup fleur de sel caramel sauce* (+ more for drizzling)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together baking blend, cocoa powder, cornstarch, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together bananas, applesauce, sugars and vanilla until well combined. Stir in half the flour mixture, then buttermilk, then remaining flour mixture.
  3. Transfer half the batter to prepared loaf pan. Pour caramel sauce on top, then add remaining batter. Use a butter knife to gently swirl caramel into the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about one hour. Set loaf pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve drizzled with extra fleur de sel caramel sauce, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Notes

*To make vegan, replace buttermilk with 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and use a vegan salted caramel sauce.

https://arismenu.com/salted-caramel-mocha-banana-bread/

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread

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Soft and tender vegan banana bread swirled with creamy cookie butter and topped with a crumbly cookie butter & oat streusel. 

You know when there is a trendy clothing item that everyone starts wearing? First, you judge it (well…I do). Then, it starts to grow on you, and eventually curiosity gets the best of you, and you find yourself in a fitting room not even 100% sure why you’re trying this on, but then once it’s on your body you fall in so much love, and everything makes sense in the world?

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread #vegan via www.arismenu.com

That’s how I feel about banana bread. One day, I opened my reader, and almost all of the food blogs I follow posted banana bread. I’ve never been one to think “OMG, I really want to make some banana bread!’, but that day all the cool kids were doing it, and I totally wanted to fit into their crowd.

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread #vegan via www.arismenu.com

PS: I was NOT a cool kid in school. I was that awkward kid that fit into absolutely no social groups, and didn’t really have any friends until high school. Somehow awkward clothing choices, bad jokes, and an obsession for musical theatre don’t equal popularity? It’s a total mystery. But I mean, let’s be honest…those things still pretty much apply…

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread #vegan via www.arismenu.com

Anyway, I was on a mission to make banana bread, but it couldn’t just be regular banana bread. That’s not the way I work. So I filled it with melted cookie butter, and topped it with what might be my favorite thing ever–cookie butter streusel.

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread #vegan via www.arismenu.com

You guys. First of all, I made streusel with no butter. I didn’t think it was possible to achieve the right texture, but I did. Not only that, I made streusel with no flour, and, this streusel is…so….good. I wish I could give you a better description–I mean, it’s crumbly and it tastes buttery (magic), but words can’t describe how amazing it is, so we’ll stick with “….so….good.”

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread #vegan via www.arismenu.com

And the banana bread? It’s so soft and that m word that I really hate. I really wanted the cookie butter to stand out, so I didn’t want to just mix it into the batter where the flavors get muted–that’s my biggest pet peeve about cookie butter (and Nutella for that matter) in baked goods. I wanted to sink my teeth in and get slapped in the face with cookie butter flavor. Can you think of anything better?

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread #vegan via www.arismenu.com

I don’t think I can. This was one of those recipes that made my dance-around-my-kitchen-giddy, and I had to give it away to my family immediately so that I wouldn’t eat the entire loaf. It was that good.

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Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 12-16

Serving Size: 1 slice

Cookie Butter Streusel Banana Bread

Soft and tender vegan banana bread swirled with creamy cookie butter and topped with a crumbly cookie butter & oat streusel.

Ingredients

  • For the banana bread:
  • 2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 extra ripe medium bananas, mashed
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cookie butter or Biscoff spread, melted
  • For the cookie butter streusel:
  • 1/4 cup raw oats
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cookie butter or Biscoff spread

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. Begin with banana bread. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Let stand.
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together mashed bananas, applesauce, sugars and vanilla until well combined. Add half the dry ingredients, followed by almond milk mixture, then remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
  4. Pour half the batter into prepared loaf pan. Pour 1 cup melted cookie butter on top in an even layer. Top with remaining batter.
  5. To make the streusel, combine oats, brown sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp cookie butter. Mix by hand until ingredients are combined and form a crumbly texture. Sprinkle evenly over batter.
  6. Bake until golden and set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, about an hour. Cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
https://arismenu.com/cookie-butter-streusel-banana-bread/

 

Skinnified Sunday: Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

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Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

I don’t like to make things I’ve already made. I mean, I make the same thing for breakfast every single day, and I order the same thing every time at my favorite restaurants, but I don’t like to bake things more than once, even if it’s a different recipe. Well, unless it’s cookies. Cookies are my favorite. I will make them over and over and over for no reason at all. Cake on the other hand? Meh, I can take it or leave it. I will always eat a dessert, but cookies and fro yo are my true loves.

Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

Well, that is the case with most cakes anyway, but every once in a while, I come across one I really love. 😉

Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

I’ve already made a regular tres leches cake, and a vegan tres leches cake. I had no desire to make an other one, but when people make birthday requests, I can’t say no.

Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

I wanted to try something new and different, and I immediately remembered this recipe that caught my eye a few weeks ago. I’m pretty sure I’ve said about 5 billion times that Jessica’s blog is my very very favorite. She is my blogspiration–her writing, her recipes, her gorgeeeooouuusss photography….everything is just soooo good. If you haven’t you must go check it out rightthissecond.

Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches CakeAnd as usual, she doesn’t disappoint! Soft, gooey, milk soaked banana cake? Sign me up. I may even like it better than cookies.

My swaps:

  • White whole wheat flour for all purpose (+fiber, +protein)
  • Applesauce for butter (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • Less sugar (-sugar…obviously)
  • Unsweetened almond milk for light coconut milk (-calories)
  • Sweetened condensed coconut milk for regular condensed milk (-calories)
  • Regular sliced bananas for caramelized bananas (-fat, -calories, -sugar, -cholesterol)

Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

 

Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

adapted from How Sweet It Is

  • 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 medium bananas, mashed
  • 2/3 cup + 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, divided
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
  • 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 2-3 bananas for topping

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. 
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  3. In an other small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together egg yolks, applesauce and sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and mashed bananas and beat until well combined. Add half of the flour mixture, followed by 2/3 cup almond milk, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in egg whites.
  5. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish, and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Cool completely
  6. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup almond milk, sweetened condensed coconut milk and evaporated milk. Pour the milk mixture over the cake in 3 small batches, brushing with a pastry brush in between each time. Cover and let cake sit in refrigerator for at least 1 hour (overnight is preferable).
  7. To make the whipped cream topping, in a large bowl, beat whipping cream on high until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar slowly to reach desired sweetness mixing on medium speed. Spread evenly over cake.
  8. Top with freshly sliced banana just before serving.

 

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