healthy classic banana bread

I wouldn't say that I use baked goods to bribe people, but I do think there is a certain incentive to agree to a favor when there are, let's say, cookies involved. That's what happened a few weeks ago when I had the opportunity to photograph the National Cathedral and hoped to borrow some extra equipment from a friend. I generally shoot with a light body and a short lens, but I wanted a few back up options, knowing that I probably wouldn't get the chance to shoot from the rafters of the building again. In return, I promised a loaf of banana bread.

To be honest, my Mom is kind the banana bread guru in my life and I rarely make it myself. Nevertheless, I decided that having a healthy version in my arsenal wouldn't hurt, especially given how comforting a warm slice can be in the dead of winter when I'm dreaming of picking fresh fruit and dressing in less than three layers.

I took advantage of the snow day (fellow D.C.-ers, are you dug out yet?) and the super ripe bananas I had been waiting on to test out this lightened-up version of a classic quick bread. Embarrassingly, I doubled the butter needed to get this recipe started and decided it was a sign to just make a double batch! I ended up with a full loaf and twelve muffins, which means I've got snacks for the week. I believe the term "happy accident" would be appropriate here.

Quick tip: I keep my baking bananas in a brown paper bag with the top folded over. Science tells me that helps them ripen faster than just sitting on your counter due to gases being emitted and the concentration of said gases and other concepts that I just don't have room in my brain for. All I know is, it works.

Banana bread is great on its own, but walnut and chocolate chips really take it to the next level. I pulled out some unbroken walnuts to decorate the top and give it that professional "did YOU make this?" quality.

Once I had all my dry ingredients ready to go, I added the walnuts and chocolate and gave it a good toss in the flour mixture. I find the coating helps suspend them in the batter and helps avoid having a bottom layer consisting of chocolate and nuts. 

Also, since I live on the wild side, while most recipes call for you to really mash the bananas well, I like to be a little more gentle to I get pieces of fruit throughout the bread. (Okay, maybe I just really like mix-ins! You never want to share a pint of ice cream with me, unless plain vanilla is your thing.)

Since the loaf was a gift, you'll have to trust that the muffins adequately represent the perfect texture of this bread. (For those of you going the muffin route, they only take about 14-17 minutes in the oven!) 

The best part about banana bread? It really does get better over time. I find that it's best the second or third day, which makes it a great bake-ahead project.

Healthy Classic Banana Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light
Yields 14 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)
1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt (feel free to use honey, banana, or vanilla flavors)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional: 1/2 to 3/4 cup mix-ins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars together on medium speed, about one minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until blended.
4. Sift or whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and combine on low until just blended. Do not over-mix! (I avoid this by letting my stand mixer do about 50% of the work, then mixing it the rest of the way by hand. Over-mixing leads to tough breads, which no one likes!).
6. Spoon batter into a loaf pan that has been greased with cooking spray and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife speared through the center comes out clean.
7. Cool on wire rack for ten minutes, remove from pan, and let cool completely. 

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 165, Fat: 3.85g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Carbs: 28g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 4.5g

(For comparison, Starbucks' Banana Bread has nearly 500 calories a slice!)

vegan banana flax walnut muffins

let's say that mother nature won't let you pack up your winter clothes and all you want is consistent weather. or let's say that your crest white strips are making your teeth sensitive (and, to add insult to injury, your boyfriend says its because you've been watching too much real housewives). let's say you're definitely moving in a month and are freaking out about getting everything packed. or maybe you just finished the "intermediate" running level on your favorite running app and now you're afraid to move up to "advanced". 

let's say you feel crazy because of all the changes, big and small, and just want a simple muffin to make you feel better. and, let's say, banana bread always reminds you of your mom. auto-comfort. 

and, well, maybe those are less hypothetical than i made them out to be. 

the biggest one being that we are officially packing up and moving 500 miles to washington dc in a few weeks. needless to say, i'm a little stressed out about the whole thing. this might translate into baking-overload, or into having very little time to whip anything up - we'll see! just know that if it's the latter than i haven't forgotten about you.

now that that's out of the way, let's talk muffins.

i would be lying if i said that sometimes i didn't let bananas overripe on purpose, just so i could make banana bread. these were getting so bad you could smell them from the hallway, so last night i decided to turn the recipe i used a few days ago into muffins to see if it translated. lucky for me, it did!

i beefed things up nutritionally by using whole wheat flour, unrefined sugar, and flax meal for extra oomph. everyone at work has been trying to be more conscientious about what they are eating, so i want to bring them something a little healthier than my normal fare. 

i ended up making a dozen with walnuts and six without, just incase anyone wasn't feeling nutty (though i sure will be) and/or there was a nut allergy issues. feel free to substitute almost anything in this recipe for another comprable ingredient. how about cranberries and almonds? the muffin is your oyster, get creative!

i wanted to pay a quick compliment to my offset spatula, one of my all-time favorite and all-time used baking supplies. i use it to frost cakes, wedge muffins out of their tins, smooth cream onto whoopie pies, scrape peanut butter from the bottom of the jar when i'm having a late-night craving, and..well, you get it. 

i had almost three of these for breakfast this morning (note: does not include the batter i shamelessly licked from the inside of the bowl during my "prewash" cycle of dish washing). they're that good. 

vegan banana flax walnut muffins

yields 18

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup raw sugar

3 tablespoons flax meal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 overripe bananas, mashed

1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1. preheat over to 350 degrees and grease muffin tins.

2. in a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, flax meal, and salt until well combined. add mashed bananas and continue to mix until mostly incorporated. (note: it will be lumpy-looking, but i use two forks and "cut" the bananas into the mix like i would butter in a biscuit recipe!)

3. add maple syrup and water and stir until mostly dissolved.

4. make two wells in the bowl (i used the back of a tablespoon) and pour vinegar in one and oil in the other. pour water mixture over everything and stir until just combined.

5. fill muffin tins until 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

nutritional information:

calories: 125, fat: 3.7g, sodium: 203mg, carbs: 21g, fiber: 3g, sugars 7g, protein: 3.19g. 

as always, thanks for reading & happy baking!

amanda

ps: i JUST noticed that my image bandwidth has been exceeded (what?!) and will need to figure out what to do about that. in the meantime things should be up and running, but if my photos go offline in the near future it's just because i'm doing some upgrades. thanks y'all!

cinnamon sugar donut muffins!

these donut-muffin hybrids (duffins? monuts?) may not be the most beautiful things to come out of my kitchen, but they sure are some of the most delicious. seriously, they're tied with my new favorite leave-in conditioner for "things that have completely rocked my weekend."

if you're not convinced yet, i've narrowed down the top 5 reasons why you should drop what you're doing and make these right now:

1. you don't need any fancy kitchen gadgets to make these, just a few bowls and good whisk. sometimes i dread lugging out the stand mixer and consider mixing ingredients together a form of exercise. well, it kind of is! strength training? anyone?

2. you also don't need a donut pan. don't get me wrong, they are totally cute and very popular but go against my rule of only buying kitchen gadgets that serve more than one purpose

3. they are totally kid-friendly and come together in an hour. none of the pesky waiting around to start enjoying cinnamon-sugary bliss.

4. i cut the calories and fat from the original recipe a tremendous amount by substituting a few ingredients. this means, guiltless donut consumption! (when was the last time THAT happened?)

5. last but not least, they are 100% delicious and perfect at any time of the day. also, who could turn down a DONUT shaped like a MUFFIN?

i know you probably haven't made it to the end of the list without running to your kitchens to throw this together, but i'll continue with the post for when you come back, donut in hand.

though i don't consider myself a "low fat" or "light" baker, i do have a few tricks up my sleeve on how to cut some of the unnecessary bad-for-you ingredients from baked goods. one great trick is substituting unsweetened applesauce for oils, which i did in my modified version of this recipe. 

to use this technique, just put however much applesauce your recipe calls for in a sieve over a bowl and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. gravity will pull the majority of the moisture out of the applesauce, which would otherwise make your final product overly runny. if you don't have a sieve, you can mimic the effect by putting the applesauce between several layers of paper towels. it's a little messier, but it works!

these babies puffed up a lot, so i was glad that i only filled the tins up halfway. i used paper liners for the bigger version of the donuts (i ended up making minis too!) because i'm taking them to work and feel weird handing out unwrapped baked goods, but i think it takes away from their beauty a little. feel free to scrap the liners and just give your muffin tins a good spray before adding the batter.

another way i cut the calories from these was by not submerging the entire donut in butter before rolling it in cinnamon sugar. instead, i just dunked the tops! i don't feel like i lost any of the effect or taste at all, but you can feel free to coat your entire donut if you're feeling crazy.

this recipe was so easy to make and would be a quick and easy brunch treat to whip up some lazy morning. they are also super versatile and could be just as easily glazed or stuffed with jelly - my personal favorite. the few substitutions i made didn't detract at all from the flavor or taste, but instead just cut the calories down from 275 to 162 - an enormous difference.

cinnamon sugar donut muffins


adapted from tasty kitchen
yields 12-13 standard-sized muffins (or 3 dozen mini-muffins)

ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, strained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 skim milk

for the topping:

2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. strain applesauce via sieve or paper towels for 15-20 minutes.

2. combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

3. in a large bowl, whisk together applesauce, oil, sugar, egg, and milk until combined.

4. slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk together until no large lumps remain.

5. scoop into muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes. (mini versions only need to bake for 7-8!). do not over-bake!

6. while your donuts are baking, melt butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. in a separate dish, mix together sugar & cinnamon until combined.

7. take donuts out of the oven and let rest for 1-2 minutes. while still hot, shake out of muffin tins. dip tops into butter, then sugar mixture, then let dry on wire rack for 5-10 minutes.

nutritional information:


calories: 162, fat: 3.25g, cholesterol: 21mg, sodium: 159mg, carbs: 30g, fiber: 1g, sugar: 16g, protein: 2.75g. 




before i go, i'd like to say a quick "thank you" to all the new readers that have been visiting my blog recently. welcome! if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or requests, please feel free to get in touch via comment or at girlwhobakes@gmail.com. also, if you would like to know more about why i started this blog, or why i have all the nutritional information listed for my recipes, please check out my first entry right over here. 


as always, thanks for reading & happy baking!


amanda

bran flax morning muffins

i had been curious about flax seeds for a while, mostly because you can hide them in almost every baked good to give them some fiber & omega 3, but was always a little intimidated by something that seemed so, well, healthy.

i decided to splurge today and picked up some bob's red mill flaxseed meal from trader joe's for a few bucks. i spied a recipe on the side of the bag while stashing it in my fridge and decided to try it as a good pre-workout snack or quick morning breakfast fix.

yup, i'm starting this blog off on an unexpectedly nutritious foot, but these little muffins are easy & completely customizable.

 

i was thrilled to be able to break out my mandolin, which is basically just a fancy food slicer, to make even apple & carrot matchsticks for these babies. don't have a mandolin? just chop up your ingredients as thin or as coarsely as you like! make it your own!

i ended up editing the original recipe by adding and upping the spices, as well as using cake flour to make sure the muffins were nice and soft.

 

the wet ingredients were super simple, and i got to use the vanilla i brought back from mexico!

 

i halved the recipe and got a full dozen - three more than the recipe yielded! having leftovers is a serious theme in my baking life. 

i know they look healthy, but they taste so great! the next time i make these bad boys i might add some chopped walnuts on top for some crunch. either way, good & good for you! also, i have a feeling that these might be easily adaptable into a vegan recipe (almond/soy milk instead of skim & veggie oil/banana for egg?), a food genre i'm more and more interested in.

bran flax morning muffins

yields 24 muffins
adapted from bob's red mill bran flax muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat cake flour
3/4 cups flaxseed meal
2/4 cup oat bran cereal 
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
2 shredded apples
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
3/4 cups milk
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla

mix together flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. stir in carrots, apples, raisins, and nuts (if desired). combine milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla in small bowl. pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until ingredients are moistened. note: do not over mix, this will cause tough muffins.

fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees f for 15-20 minutes. i did seventeen & they were nice and moist!

nutritional information:

calories per serving: 113, total fat: 2.66g, cholesterol: 18mg, sodium: 300mg, carbs: 21g, fiber: 2.73g, sugars: 13g, protein: 3g.