Have you even quarantined, if you haven’t yet made banana bread? A couple weeks ago, that was the newest and latest, everyone on my feed was making banana bread. Why? I have no idea, but I know I was flooded with pictures of homemade banana bread.
So what did I do? I created my own jazzed up version of banana bread. Why the healthier version? Well .. 1. So I can make myself feel better and 2. If it tastes good why not use better for you ingredients?
Let me tell you how incredibly moist and flavorful this banana bread is. You really can’t even tell this bread is baked with out granulated sugar and butter! Win – Win if you ask me.
I wanted to experiment a bit with flavors so I decided to test out cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg together with bananas. I’m so glad I did because the flavors blend so well together with bananas!
I must have made this bread over 3x already and each time it only lasts a couple of days. Tip: try a slice with some whipped cream or cool whip. You can thank me later!
Banana Bread w/ Cinnamon, Cardamom & Nutmeg
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour; all purpose
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 ripe bananas mashed make sure bananas are slightly browning before using for this recipe. Tip: to ripe up bananas, place in a plastic bag for a day or two.
- 1-2 tsps nutmeg 1 tsp for a subtle taste, 2 tsps for a stronger taste
- 1-2 tsps cardamom 1 tsp for a subtle taste, 2 tsps for a stronger taste
- 1-2 tsps cinnamon 1 tsp for a subtle taste, 2 tsps for a stronger taste
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey or agave
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tbsps brown sugar
- 3 tbsps semi sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
Optional – serve with
- Cool Whip or any whipped topping
- Strawberries
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
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In a large bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda.
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In a separate bowl, mash together 3 bananas until mushy. Add in nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon and mix together. (Note: Start with 1 tsp of each spice and taste test. If you prefer a subtle flavor keep to 1 tsp. If you prefer a stronger flavor add in another tsp. I made this recipe several times, with both 1 tsp and 2 tsps. Both taste just as delicious!) Next add in: oil, honey, eggs and greek yogurt. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated together. Lastly add in brown sugar and mix together until sugar is incorporated with the batter.
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Pour liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Fold all ingredients together until incorporated.
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Pour combined batter into a loaf pan and sprinkle chocolate chunks (or chips) on top. Bake on 325°F for 50-55 minutes. Bake until you can insert a tooth pick into the middle of the loaf until it comes out clean. I suggest checking in on the bread at around 45 minutes. Once done, let cool for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer to add crushed nuts; feel free to add into the mixture or sprinkle on top.
- If you do not have brown sugar, you can omit. Or substitute honey/granulated sugar.
- If you want to omit the eggs, try using flax eggs or an egg substitute.
