So I went a little overboard on the bananas. Perhaps you recall the banana hoarding problem I have. Thing is, every once in a while, I find myself with a few too many. It’s rare, but it happens. Considering I will soon be on summer vacation from work and my banana-a-day stash will dwindle, I’m starting to panic. And by panic, I mean stockpile. Perhaps buying two bunches during the last trip to the grocery was a but much.
This is when measures need to be taken. Delicious measures.
The banana bread above disappeared quicker than any other. Perhaps it is due to the addition of chocolate.
Or perhaps I’m just a really good baker.
Actually, I’m betting on the chocolate.
Marbled Banana Bread
adapted from Isa Moskowitz from Post Punk Kitchen
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (about 3)
1/2 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
2 T canola oil
1/3 cup almond milk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
3 T cocoa powder
6 T boiling water
Preheat oven to 350. Boil water. Beat bananas, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flours, flax, baking soda and salt and mix (don’t over mix.) Scoop one cup of batter into a different mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder and 3 T boiling water and stir until blended. Add this mixture to the one cup batter and mix. Add 3 T boiling water to the original batter and mix until smooth. Grease a loaf pan. Scoop 1/2 cupfuls of chocolate batter, then original batter, back and forth into the pan until you run out of batter. Now take a knife and swirl it around in the pan for a few seconds to marble! Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
17 Bites 
That looks amazing! I love the flax seeds that you added. Do they end up being noticeable?
The flaxseeds are ground so you don’t notice them at all. Seriously, I didn’t think I was even going to get any it was going so fast!
That is definitely an endorsement! I’m glad you managed to get some before it was all gone 🙂
My name is Julie, and I am also a banana hoarder. This looks awesome though I get tired of baking with them. I’m going to try banana ice cream tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Banana ice cream is fantastic- did you try the one ingredient kind? Just frozen bananas in the blender? That, right there, is miracle food!
Robin you are speaking my language 🙂 We first learned about the “banana frosty” from Banana Joe’s on Kauai … and young and broke though we were my husband and I thought for a long time about investing in an industrial grade Champion juicer just so we could make them at home. Then we learned that The Bent Spoon in Princeton had a version called the Banana Whip (also just frozen banana through the Champion juicer). Now, many years later, we are back in CA, and once again contemplating the Champion … have you found a way to make this work with a regular blender? Do tell!!!
Yes! Seriously, all you need is frozen bananas and a regular blender. Pop them in, and blend. That’s it!! It’s awesome.
I’m bookmarking this.. I’m always need of dessert, especially healthy, i love that there is only 2 tbsp of oil and you use flaxseeds. LOVELY JOB!
And the key is that it didn’t TASTE healthy. It just tasted delicious! Hope you enjoy it!
Desert is something I am always on the look out. This is one I am saving for sure to try.
Let me know how it turns out! Hope you love it as much as my family did!
p.s. is it just me or is this vegan? bonus.
Yup! We’re trying to keep the animal products to a minimum these days. We haven’t cut them out entirely, but making more of an effort. And really- they haven’t been missed at all.
likewise. I love to bake, and I’m seriously concerned my kids eat too much butter. Not that I want to fill them with vegetable oils, either, but I love having vegan options to balance things out. We eat 50-75% vegetarian meals, depending on the week, and I’m slowly trying to tweak my ‘treat’ recipes to be more in line with that too … Will definitely give this a try. Have you tried olive oil banana bread? We made one with dark chocolate and I was surprised how much I liked it – I don’t make a lot of banana bread, but that one is now my go-to. I think with quick breads, the butter is much less important than in, say, a cookie. Anyway! 🙂
Pardon me while my mouth stops watering! Banana bread is a favorite in our house; we too are banana hoarders. I rarely deviate from a recipe I’ve used for years, but I took a chance on one I found not too long ago and it was delicious. I will certainly try this recipe too! If you’re interested in trying the one I referenced (also a healthy one!) check out the post “Bananarama” on http://www.mommybanter.wordpress.com. Would love your feedback!