Healthy Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread
Currently I have the pleasure of interning for Registered Dietitian, and nutrition and lifestyle expert, Holley Grainger! Holley is a member of thereciperedux.com and this month’s challenge was …CHOCOLATE!!- I am always looking for an excuse to eat chocolate, so that is why I found a guilt-free way to enjoy it by pairing it with…. fruit! As I have stated many times before, I love creating healthy alternatives to not-so-healthy recipes, so when Holley asked me to develop a recipe using (my favorite ingredient) chocolate, my mind immediately went to something that I could enjoy at any time of the day.
- This isn’t your typical banana bread…it has swirls of chocolate blended throughout. I mean, really, what could be better than that!? I used honey (a natural form of sugar) and bananas to sweeten it. You definitely don’t have to think twice before enjoying a piece. Give it a try 🙂
- OH — and I like to warm mine up and add a big ole spread of peanut butter on top. (um, drooling)
What You’ll Need:
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (8g)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp skim milk
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/3-1/2 cup honey
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
How to:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan.
- Whisk together all liquid ingredients in a bowl. In the other bowl, stir together all dry ingredients except the cocoa powder.
- Mix the cocoa powder and 1/4 cup boiling water in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients to make one batter. Divide the batter in half. Add the cocoa to one of the batters (so you now have one chocolate batter and one original banana batter).
- Scoop a layer of plain batter into your loaf pan, followed by a layer of chocolate. Repeat until all batter is used up. Take a spoon and swirl the batters together for just a few seconds so you create that pretty marble look!
- Bake for 50 minutes. You may have to turn the oven off and leave the loaf in the oven 20 more minutes if it still needs to firm up.
Note: For best freshness, leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
to see this recipe and more from Holley visit her blog/website here!
xxo, elizabeth <3
I like the idea of the swirl. My kids don’t like banana bread but they just might eat it if it was swirled like this. I’ll have to test this theory.
Banana bread and chocolate are two of my favourite things to eat – and you’ve put them together! I am definitely going to have to make this!
Agreed! I’m thinking about a peanut butter banana bread next 🙂
That sounds amazing!