Chocolatey Coconut Banana Bread

When the holiday season arrives it's almost like my internal fat kid comes out to play and immediately I want chocolate EVERYTHING!

I can't be the only one suffering from this crazyness right??

The problem with the holidays is they are linked to SUGAR, baked goods, and more sugar.

So what do you do when you want all these goodies, but don't want the sugar crash, the weight gain, the drowsiness, and every other negative side effect that comes hand in hand with eating CRAP...?

You make guiltless indulgences that you can feel GOOD about eating & still get your sweet tooth fix!

This recipe is one i've been making for the last two years and it never gets old. This time however, I decided to try and make it even healthier without taking away from any of flavor. The result? OH MY LANTA. This may become a staple in your holiday cooking!

Right: made with dark chocolate chips and unsweetened coconut
Left: made with cacao nibs (crushed in the food processor), crushed pecans, and unsweetened coconut

Chocolatey Coconut Banana Bread

Makes 24 servings (2 loaves)

Nutrition (per serving): calories (216), fat (4g), carbohydrates (38.7g), fiber (9.3g), sugar (15.2g), protein (6.6g) 

Ingredients:

¼ cup + 2 tbsp. Truvia Baking Blend (or ¾ cup of sugar if you do not have the baking blend)

½ cup of brown sugar 

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

6 tbsp. egg substitute (or 2 regular eggs) **I used egg whites for this go around**

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

3 very ripe bananas; mashed

1 cup greek yogurt (nonfat)

1 tsp vanilla 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup coconut flour **if you do not have coconut flour, you can use 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour. However the coconut flour gave the bread amazing flavor!**

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

Dash of cloves

Dash of nutmeg

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional) **I used raw cacao nibs and crushed them in a food processor. This will be my new go to! They give the bread a chocolatey taste but don't melt like normal chocolate chips & provide a crazy amount of nutrition**

2 tbsp. chia seeds **adds healthy fibers**

2 tbsp. hemp hearts (optional)

2 tbsp. flax seeds (optional)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (split between the 2 loaves) 

1/2 cup crushed pecans (split between the 2 loaves)

Nonstick cooking oil spray

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut the butter into small chunks and place in a large mixing bowl along with the sugar and brown sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar for a few minutes. Make sure the butter is fully integrated into the sugar and the mixture becomes small, even sized crumbs.

2. Add the eggs and applesauce to the bowl and continue to mix until smooth.

3. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork till smooth. Add the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, and vanilla to the bowl. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until smooth.

4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg, chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp hearts. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet to make a thick batter. Don’t over mix – a few lumps are okay.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips

6. Grease 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking oil spray. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. **top with additional ingredients like the cacao nibs, coconut, pecans, etc.**

7. Cover each pan with aluminum foil & cook 45 minutes.

8. Remove foil and cook 10 minutes longer, or until top is golden brown.

9. Let the loaves cool for 10 minutes in their pans, and then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.