Sugared & Stirred

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Gluten-Free Healthier Banana Nut Bread

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Ever since my GF Zucchini Choc Chip Muffins, I have been shook at how simple it can be to create a delicious and moist quick bread with the texture of a regular glutenous bread. I’m sure we’ve all had at least one bad experience with a gluten-free muffin or cookie that just didn’t live up to our expectations. Well, this bread. This bread! It’s good. It’s moist. It tastes just like the real deal. And it’s better for you than other sugar loaded banana breads!

I took my favorite Healthier Banana Nut Bread and simply swapped out the flour for my own GF flour/starch blend! Once you have all of your ingredients compiled, this recipe is so easy! I like to bake this bread at a lower temperature for a tad longer just to make sure it comes out nice and moist – as I think a banana bread should be. Feel free to omit the walnuts and add in your favorite mix-ins – white or dark chocolate chips, blueberries, poppy seeds, etc. And as always, happy baking!

Gluten-Free Healthier Banana Nut Bread
Makes one 9×5” loaf

1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs*, room temp
3 ripe bananas (~1 1/3 cup mashed banana)
1/2 cup almond milk, room temp
3 Tbsp applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup oat flour
2/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup almond flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour/starch
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1.) Preheat your oven to 300°F. Spray a loaf pan with olive oil and then line with parchment paper, making sure you a couple of parchment “tabs” overhanging the sides to make for easy removal of your baked loaf. It’s very important to make sure all four sides of your pan are lined with parchment (and not just non-stick spray) as the almond flour will cause the loaf to stick. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for about 10 minutes.

2.) In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut sugar and honey. Whisk in the eggs and then the mashed banana, almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla until totally combined; set aside.

3.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, tapioca flour/starch, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients and gently mix until nearly combined. Add in the chopped walnuts, mixing gently until no flour pockets remain. Feel free to get creative with your mix-ins (add chocolate chips, poppy seeds, or other fruit!).

4.) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake at 300°F for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out with crumbs. The lower temp + longer cook time yields a moist banana bread.

5.) Allow your baked loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before gently using the parchment paper to lift it up and onto a cooling rack. Slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.

*you can use 2 flax eggs if vegan: 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water, mix and allow to thicken for a couple of minutes

Walnut Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies (dairy-free!)

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If you’ve been following my blog or Instagram, then you know I’m a sucker for chocolate. Specifically, big pools of melted chocolate enrobed in a perfectly sweet and crispy cookie. I mean, COME ON. Look at that chocolate!!

I love using coconut oil in place of butter in my version of a classic chocolate chip cookie, because I always have it on hand + it’s easier on the wallet than vegan butter. I find that coconut oil creates a cookie that’s crispy at the edges and totally reminiscent of a regular ole buttery cookie. You can even use refined coconut oil to lessen the chance of tasting the coconut. 

I packed these cookies with chopped dark chocolate (to get those melty pools!) and chopped walnuts – YUM! I added a bit of spelt flour, a nutritious, ancient whole grain, to add a bit more nuttiness to these cookies. I’m so happy with how these turned out, and let’s just say I was very tempted to eat the whole batch! Happy baking, friends!

1/2 cup coconut oil, solid
5 Tbsp granulated sugar
5 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temp
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup chopped dairy-free dark chocolate
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1.) Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. In a large bowl, beat together the solid coconut oil and sugars. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla; set aside.

2.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or large spatula until nearly combined. Add the chopped chocolate and chopped walnuts and gently combine.

3.) Scoop all of the dough balls, 1.5 Tbsp in size, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll dough balls smooth, making sure chunks of chocolate are visible on the top of each cookie. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

4.) Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake cookies, six at a time, for 7-9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Healthier Banana Nut Bread (dairy-free and oil-free!)

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Sometimes I’m in the mood for a warm slice of soft banana bread. And sometimes I have a bunch of near-black bananas in desperate need of someplace to be before they get tossed in the trash. This, my friends, is the perfect banana bread for those days when you’re craving the comfort of carbs, or when you just have too many freaking bananas. It’s tender, moist, and perfectly spiced. I collaborated with my husband, Nathan, to get this bread just right – he used to be famous amongst his friends for his delicious banana bread! I like to add walnuts to our classic banana bread, but, of course, you can leave them out or replace them with chocolate chips, dried fruit, or whatever!

I used a mix of coconut sugar (my fave, but brown sugar will also work) and honey to add a bit of moisture. You’ll need three whole bananas for this recipe and your favorite flour – I like to use whole wheat pasty flour because I find that it lends to a tender crumb in my quick breads. You can use all-purpose flour or even a mix of half all-purpose and half whole wheat. The applesauce in this recipe replaces oil, but if you have no applesauce on hand you can use any kind of vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil). We baked this loaf at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time to ensure maximum moistness (sorry not sorry if you hate that word)! As always, happy baking!

Healthier Banana Nut Bread
Makes one 9×5″ loaf (serves 8-9)

1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup honey
3 ripe bananas (~1 1/3 cup mashed banana)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1.) Preheat your oven to 300°F and spray a 9×5″ loaf pan with olive oil. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.

2.) Meanwhile, mix the coconut sugar and honey in a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

3.) Mash your bananas with a fork and add to the sugar honey mixture. Whisk in the almond milk, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract until well combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of your bowl.

4.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently mix until nearly combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts or other add-ins (chocolate chips, raisins, etc) until no flour pockets remain.

5.) Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan and top with any desired toppings (extra nuts, banana slices, chocolate chips, etc). Bake at 300°F for 65-75 min or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.

6.) Allow your baked loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before gently removing it with a butter knife and transferring it to a cooling rack. I like to turn my loaf pan on its side to shimmy the loaf out with a butter knife, so I don’t ruin any toppings. Enjoy warm and store leftovers in an airtight container.