Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

  Thanks to Green Giant™ Veggie Snack Chips for sponsoring this post! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread.  Clearly I was experiencing some flavor combination cravings that wouldn’t be satisfied until I unleashed my experimental powers in the kitchen.  And fortunately for me, and my family, the experiment paid off!  Another delicious treat you can enjoy without too much guilt!

Providing healthier snacks for my kids is a priority.  You already know I love experimenting with baked goods that are deceptively packed full of healthy ingredients.  For example, my Chocolate Deception Cake, Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze, Mega Healthy Honey Olive Quinoa Cake, Mega Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies, Orange Chocolate Hazelnut Bread, and Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, just to name a few.

But there is something besides baked goods that my kids love to eat that isn’t quite as easy to  replicate in the kitchen:  Chips.  Crunchy, savory chips.  (No, my kids won’t go for the homemade oven-baked ones.  Not yet anyway.) And so I agreed to sample some of Green Giant’s new Veggie Chips.  I tried the Garden Ranch Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips and the Barbecue Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips.

Before handing them over to my kids I scanned the list of ingredients.  Priority for me was making sure certain things weren’t in it.  Here’s what immediately stood out to me.  Let’s start with the things that aren’t in these chips:  No high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils, or MSG.  So far so good.  Then I scanned the ingredients to see what was in them and was pleasantly surprised to find the following:  Sunflower oil (a good, healthy oil), whey (a good source of protein), buckwheat, millet, amaranth, brown rice, quinoa (four healthy grains), broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potato (healthy veggies).  I was impressed.  None of the bad stuff and lots of good stuff.  So, having passed the initial test, I opened both bags of chips and tried them.  Both were very good.  My favorite of the two:  The Garden Ranch Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips.  I passed the chips over to my 3 year old and he more than gladly took over from there.

That afternoon I made a loaf of Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bread and we all enjoyed it as a family.  Made with whole grains (your choice of spelt or whole wheat flour), honey, buttermilk, and coconut oil, this is another treat you can enjoy without all the guilt.

Let’s get started!

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Mash the bananas.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the honey, brown sugar, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add the peanut butter and beat until combined.  Add the mashed banana and beat until combined.  Add the buttermilk and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture gradually, folding it in with a rubber spatula just until combined.  Be careful not to over-stir.  Some small lumps of flour will remain and that’s okay.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan (I used Fat Daddio’s Loaf Pans)and pour the batter in.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for about 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let the loaf sit in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Don’t forget to also try these Mega Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

 

Print

: The Daring Gourmet, www.daringgourmet.com

Serves: Makes 1 Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup raw honey
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup natural unsweetened peanut butter (add and extra ¼ cup if you prefer a stronger peanut butter flavor)
• 1 cup mashed overripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan (I used Fat Daddio's)
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the honey, brown sugar, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. Add the peanut butter and beat just until combined then add the mashed banana and beat to combine. Add the buttermilk and beat until combined.
5. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture, being careful not to over-stir. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the bread sit in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

3.2.2124