Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Made from Plant Based Ingredients

The perfect Sunday afternoon treat! This chocolate chip banana bread is completely indulgent without the unhealthy ingredients. Use your overripe bananas to give your loaf that fresh sweetness. Paired with coconut oil, your bread will come out soft and moist. I love to prepare mine at the beginning of the week, pouring the batter in to muffin molds. A great breakfast muffin for your on the go needs, or try it as a loaf and share with your loved ones!

Servings: 1 Medium Sized Loaf

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1.5 Cups Spelt flour (Can replace with any GF flour)

1/3 cup coconut brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground clove

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup + 2 TBS melted coconut oil

1 TBS vanilla water (optional)

5 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup plant based chocolate chips

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with convection on.
2. Add a teaspoon of oil to your baking pan and spread evenly to all sides. Dust with flour. This method is best for creating a non stick surface with any type of pan. I used a 4 x 8 glass loaf dish.

3. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.

4. In a separate smaller bowl, mix the maple syrup with coconut milk.

5. Peel and mash 4 bananas in another small bowl, using the whisk you used to mix the dry ingredients. Save the fifth banana to top your bread with before it goes in the oven.

6. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in your liquids. Combine together with a spatula or wooden spoon till almost smooth.

7. Now add the coconut oil while the batter is in mid mix, as shown in the image below. Mix everything till smooth. Do not over mix, this will make the bread tighter and not as soft.

8. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips.

9. Pour in to baking pan and and place in oven for 25 – 35 minutes. The timeframe is wide because the convection option plays an important role. If your oven doesn’t have that option, that’s perfectly fine. You will need to check your bread every 5 minutes after 25 minutes or so. When checking to see if baked goods are finished baking in the oven, grab a small knife and stick it down the center of the bread. If you pull it out and there is a bit of wet batter on the knife, add another 5 minutes to your timer and check again then.

10. I personally made a double batch with this recipe. One loaf had chunky peanut butter marbled in to the top while the other had a sliced banana and extra chocolate chips for the topping. Get creative here! This will give your bread an interesting and flavorful crust.

11. When your bread is finished, let it rest till cooled. I know it may be tempting, but try your best not to cut in to it till it’s completely cooled. This will help the bread keep its fluff and softness. Store in your fridge for up to 7 days.

Pro Tip #1

I experimented with date paste instead of the granulated coconut brown sugar in my recipe testing. I do not recommend using date paste because it does not incorporate the flavor and sweetness the way granulated coconut brown sugar does. Though you are getting sweetness from the maple mixed in to the milk and from the ripe bananas, the date paste was not prominent at all. So, stick to the coco brown.

Pro Tip #2

I’ve made this recipe dozens of times with gluten free flour and it works just the same! Sub the spelt flour for your favorite gluten free mixture and enjoy.