Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)
Sorry to be extremely predictable during quarantine but...I made banana bread.
This isn't just any banana bread, though. I wanted it to taste like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, which most people know by now is one of my favourite foods ever (evidenced here and here). It's perfectly sweet and studded with chocolate chunks and oats, making it an *excellent* breakfast, dessert or afternoon treat. And I KNOW you're all doing more baking than ever right now, so here's another one to add to your repertoire!
I always bake gluten-free, so I used a mixture of almond flour and oat flour here, which I find gives the best moisture and crumb to GF treats. You can definitely try using all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend, but you may need to adjust the amount slightly to make sure the texture of the batter is correct (thick but pourable). It's sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup, but feel free to sub whichever granulated and liquid sweeteners you have! Brown sugar and honey would totally work. Oh, and make sure your banana are VERY ripe when you make this - I'm talking black!
This is one of those breads that's actually BETTER the next day, to allow the banana flavour to really develop. It's best served with a generous smear of peanut or almond butter, or warmed and spread with butter (vegan or not). Enjoy ;)
Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
3 large or 4 small very ripe bananas (~1 ⅓ cup mashed banana)
¼ cup melted vegan butter or coconut oil
¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 eggs (could sub flax eggs but won’t rise as much)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oat flour
1 cup + 2 tbsp almond flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup chopped dark chocolate chunks (or chips)
⅓ cup chopped toasted nuts, if desired
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a standard loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mash your bananas. Add your melted butter/oil, sugar and maple/honey and whisk well until combined and foamy. Add your eggs and vanilla and beat until you have a smooth mixture.
To the wet ingredients, add your flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir until just combined. Fold in your rolled oats and chocolate chunks until evenly incorporated.
Pour batter into your loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the middle is set and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Let cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Slice and enjoy!