This quick bread makes a great snack for any time of day, and the bananas provide most of the sweetness. There are many variations to try as well: using applesauce, carrot puree or squash puree instead of bananas. Kids feel like they’re eating cake- shhhhhh……

INGREDIENTS:

 Wet

½ cup (1 stick) good quality unsalted butter, melted

4 over ripe bananas (best to wait until they are almost all brown!)

2 eggs

¼ cup yogurt or buttermilk*

1 tsp vanilla extract

 *to make quick buttermilk, add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar to milk and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Dry

1 cup unbleached pastry flour

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour

3 T golden flax seeds, ground in a coffee/spice grinder

¾ cup sucanat (sugar alternative)

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg 

pinch of ground cloves and/or allspice

optional additions: nuts such as walnuts or pecans, dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries or cherries 

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Melt butter in the oven in a small oven safe bowl.

3. While butter melts, mix all the wet ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

4. Next, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

5. Add melted butter to the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk very well- about 1 minute.

6. Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk well until no lumps appear. If adding chopped nuts and/or dried fruit- stir them in.

7. Let batter stand for 10 minutes before baking.

8. Give batter a quick stir then pour into greased muffin tin or loaf pan. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or loaf for 45-60 minutes. Bake until toothpick comes out clean.