Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Okay, you need to put this recipe on your to-make list ASAP. No really, you are going to want to make this immediately. It’s just delicious! I made a loaf of it today and was intending to bring it to my art class friends to enjoy, but well, we ate the entire loaf this evening. So….good thing I have three more super ripe bananas sitting on the counter because I have to make it again tomorrow. 

It is so chocolatey, so moist, so melt-in-your-mouth-you-absolutely-must-have-a-glass-of-cold-milk (or almond milk!) to follow it with. I know you’ll love it, too. It is an absolute banana bread hit. Enjoy! 

PS It’s vegan. 

PPS If you don’t want it to be use real butter and a real egg. Easy swaps. 

Ingredients:

4 Tbl plant butter (I use Country Crock with Avocado Oil or Earth Balance) OR regular butter, melted

4 Tbl canola OR vegetable oil

3 very ripe bananas, smashed well

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 flax egg OR 1 regular egg (flax egg = 1 Tbl ground flax seed + 2 Tbl water, let sit 10 min)

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon  

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup spelt flour OR all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, SIFTED

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life), divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Make the flax egg and let it sit for 10 min. 

Prepare a loaf pan by lightly oiling it and then placing a piece of cut parchment paper inside and over the edge (this makes removing the loaf very easy once the bread has cooled). 

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl for 30 - 40 seconds. Let cool slightly. Add the canola oil, stir. Smash the bananas into the melted butter and oil. Really smash them well. Add the brown sugar then flax egg, stir. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir. Add the flour. Sift the unsweetened cocoa powder into the bowl. Please don't skip this step. You do not want little hard clumps of cocoa powder in your banana bread. Finally add 1/2 cup of the mini chocolate chips. 

Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of the batter. Bake for 52-58 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cooked bread comes out clean. 

Enjoy! 

Banana Coconut "Samoas" Cookies

This is one of those recipes where SO easy meets SO delicious!  I honestly don't know how these cookies are THIS tasty because they require so little effort! HA! My mother sent me this recipe she saw on social media and I thought, "I'll give these a try and I'm sure they are going to be very mediocre." As you already know, they turned out to be incredible. They are naturally gluten free and naturally vegan (as long as you use vegan chocolate chips). 

I have made these three times in a week - and each time I have shared them with friends. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas, smashed very smooth

2 cups of unsweetened coconut shreds (with coconut as the ONLY ingredient)

1 - 2 Tbl of pure maple syrup 

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use Hu or Enjoy Life bc they are vegan, but you can use any kind of chocolate you like)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix smashed banana, maple syrup and coconut in a bowl. Once fully combined, place tablespoon sized scoops onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use your hands (you can lightly wet them to prevent sticking) to shape each cookie into a disk. Use a straw or chopstick to make a little hole in the middle of each disk. Make sure to not break the disk. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let fully cool. Once the cookies are cooled, release them from their place on the parchment (to prevent sticking once the chocolate has cooled). Using a microwave safe glass bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 60 seconds. Remove and stir. Heat again for another 30 seconds. This always works perfectly for me - the chocolate is nice and smooth after this point. If yours still isn't fully melted you can try again for 10 seconds and stir. 

Drizzle the chocolate over each Samoas cookie. Let the chocolate cool and harden. I find it works best if I transfer the sheet pan to the fridge. After the chocolate is set - enjoy!