yes, i know, not another banana bread recipe. but this one, at least for me, is different. i have yet to see, or come up with a gluten free banana bread using nutrient rich flours. unlike most gluten free flours, oat flour, buckwheat flour, and almond flour, are easier to digest, and have nutrients and minerals that are beneficial to your body. health aside, i really enjoy a good banana bread. there's a place across the street from us that has a chocolate or cocoa banana bread that is insanely good. frank would often get a slice, and give me some bites. since then i have been thinking about that bread and trying to recreate it. this is the closest i've come, and i hope you enjoy it.
the original recipe does not include cocoa powder or chocolate, so i made some changes. since i was adding cocoa powder (which is quite dry) i reduced the amount of flaxmeal by a tablespoon. also, i used agave in place of honey, and used a little less than what was called for. in addition, i reduced the amount of vanilla extract because i was adding chocolate. if you're wanting to make cocoa banana bread and you aren't gluten free, or don't have the flours listed above, you can easily add cocoa powder and chocolate to your go-to banana bread recipe.
recipe adapted from Edible Perspective
makes one loaf
·· ingredients ··
1 cup oat flour
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder (reserve one tablespoon for dusting)
1 tablespoons ground flaxmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 ripe/overripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1/4 unsweetened almond milk
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1.5 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
·· directions ··
pre heat oven to 350º
grease and line a 8x4" loaf pan with parchment paper
in a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients and mix until combined (walnuts and dark chocolate excluded)
in a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients until combined
mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until combined. fold the walnuts and dark chocolate into the batter
using a spatula, guide the batter into the loaf pan and evenly spread to edges
bake for 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out semi clean - some spots will come out more chocolatey than others because of the chopped chocolate
let it cool on a baking rack for at least 30 minutes. dust with cocoa powder, serve and enjoy