Chai Spice Banana Bread

Here I go again - ANOTHER banana bread recipe. I can't stop! I make a batch every week so the kids have a quick breakfast in the morning. I get bored making the same recipes over and over again - so I thought I would try something new - and with a little more spice! This one is inspired by chai tea. It has cardamon, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in it. I usually add yogurt in my bread to keep it moist, but this time I thought I would try canned coconut milk. The whole thing came together very nicely!! I had to share!

This recipe gets its sweetness from the very ripe bananas and organic coconut sugar. The chocolate chips are optional if you want to really cut back on the sugar (my kids love the chocolate chips, but if I were making this for myself I would use chopped walnuts instead).

4 very ripe medium bananas (about 2 cups of mashed bananas)
3/4 cup organic coconut sugar (also called coconut crystals)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup of full-fat canned coconut milk, I use Organic Native Forest brand
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed*
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts, optional

Topping:
1 tsp cinnamon, optional
2 tsp coconut sugar, optional

Preheat Oven to 350F

In a large bowl, mash the bananas using a potato masher. Stir in the coconut sugar and melted coconut oil.  Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the coconut milk (when you open the can there will be separation - since you are only using 1/2 cup in this recipe and there are approx 2 cups in the can, you'll need to make sure you get a little of the sold cream and the watery liquid- I did about half and half). Add in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine all the spices, whole wheat pastry flour, flaxseed, soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine. Fold in the chocolate chips or walnuts, if using.

I use a glass 8X8 square dish to bake. I grease it with a thin layer of coconut oil to prevent sticking. Please take note, if you are using a metal 8X8 dish you will need to bake your bread for a longer length of time.

Transfer the batter to a greased glass baking dish, use the back of your spoon to spread the batter evenly. Stir the optional 1 tsp cinnamon and optional 2 tsp coconut sugar together. Evenly sprinkle this mixture on top of the bread.

Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let sit for about 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!!

*If you do not have ground flaxseed, sub in another 1/4 cup of whole wheat pastry flour yielding 2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour in total. (I absolutely love adding ground flaxseed to my baked goods, though. Flaxseeds are wonderful plant source of Omega-3s, as well as a number of other health benefits!)