Bridging the gap between Santa’s lists, this Naughty and Nice Banana Bread is sophisticated, sneaky, yet wholsome. Get a grip on your reindeer, ’cause this one is gonna blow you off the rooftops. I shall elaborate in a bit.
Banana bread is delicious, so delicious we spent two years baking it for charity. The most tedious part of the project was finding ripe bananas. Seeing a big pile of spotty bananas sitting in my fruit tray ready to be used makes me very happy and gets my brain churning for recipe ideas. The debate is always between whether I should freeze the bananas for NanaCream, enjoy raw on my peanut butter toast, make more Banana Nut Granola, or put them into a good ol’ loaf of banana bread. It’s like asking me to choose my favourite Christmas song. The struggle is real.
My roomie, who doesn’t particularly like bananas, requested that I turn the bunch of ripe bananas into banana bread. I was already snuggled in bed when we were discussing this, and as usual, my best ideas come when I’m just about to go to bed. These epiphanies distract me from falling asleep. Of course I could’ve just made plain banana bread, but where’s the fun in that? I want one that is naughty. Aaaaand a little bit nice. We’re talking Christmas party in loaf form.
Beginning with espresso; like my dad, gotta be caffeinated before facing the day! Where you’ll find espresso in recipes, chocolate is usually nearby. Let’s just say, today it’s mandatory because it’s the holidays, so throw that dark chocolate right in!
Now here’s where it gets real naughty: I’m putting liquor in your breakfast. Hello Bailey’s! (Psst, Kahlua would be delightful as well)
Spiked, caffeinated, and speckled with chocolate, this is such a naughty bread! Isn’t Radiant Rachels supposed to be a healthy food blog? This banana bread is also gluten free, low fat, and contains absolutely no added sugar, it’s totally nice! The bananas are caramelized to sticky, golden perfection before being pureed and used in the batter. This brings out all the natural sugars in the fruit ahead of time so you get the max amount of sweetness from the spotty bananas. Squidgy, soft Medjool dates also provide 100% naturally occurring sugars to sweeten the loaf. Caramelized bananas and juicy dates provide all the sweetness needed in this loaf, making this recipe such an angel to your health.
Santa might have to spend some time thinking about this one. Sophisticated and cheeky, these unassuming little parcels make unique items for a holiday gift or baked goods exchange. So sharable!
- 3 very ripe bananas, sliced lengthwise + ½ for decoration
- ½ cup soft Medjool dates, pitted (about 5 large dates)*
- ¼ tsp + 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup Bailey's
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pink Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp finely ground espresso
- 1 cup oat flour**
- ⅓ cup quinoa flour**
- ⅔ cup buckwheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 small bar dark chocolate (50g), chopped
- Preheat oven to 350⁰F and line a 8"×4" loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Heat ¼ tsp coconut oil a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, place bananas cut side down and let cook for about 5 minutes, or until the bottom is caramelized and golden brown. Flip and continue to cook until other side is also caramelized. Immediately proceed to step 3 once bananas are finished cooking.
- In a food processor, blend pitted dates, caramelized bananas, and remaining coconut oil until smooth.
- Add the egg, Bailey's, vanilla extract, salt, and espresso to the food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides periodically with a spatula to make sure everything is incorporated.
- If your food processor is large enough, add the remaining dry ingredients and process to mix. Alternatively, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl and then transfer the wet mixture from the food processor into the mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula until evenly combined.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Use a spatula to smooth the top flat. Decorate with reserved half of a banana and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when loaf is cooked.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
**Make homemade flour by blitzing oats and quinoa in a coffee grinder until very fine
Lightly adapted from our Sweet and Salty Banana Cupcakes recipe
Leave a Reply