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Recipes

4 Ways to Make Your Banana Bread Anything But Boring

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at U Vic chapter.

Why not have the option to eat a piece of banana bread any time of the day to satisfy those cravings for the sweet and the savoury, without the guilt of eating chocolate for breakfast.

Since I’m the type to eat one piece of banana bread and then go back for five more, when I make banana bread–which is more often then I’d like to admit–I like to have a couple recipes with a variety of ingredients to choose from based on my mood that day.

Here are four recipes that I’ve fallen in love with, and I guarantee if you try them you will too: whether you’re craving something sweet, a total health nut, looking for something to warm you up, or just looking for something to pair with your coffee in the morning. We’ve got you covered.

If you’re craving something sweet

Saint Patrick's Day foods bread wheat
Eryn White

Classic Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time:1 hour Total time:1 hour 20 minutesServings:8 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

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    Preheat oven to 350ºF. In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

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    In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter.

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    Beat the egg slightly, and mix into the creamed mixture with the bananas. Continue mixing until ingredients are combined. TIME FOR CHOCOLATE!

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    Mix in the chocolate chips!

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    Spread batter into a greased 9x5u0022 inch loaf pan.

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    Bake 350ºF for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean with no batter.

If you’re a total health nut

Banana Bread candy cake
Eryn White

Zucchini and Walnut Banana Bread

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time:1 hour Total time:1 hour 20 minutesServings:8 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

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    Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, coconut oil, sugar, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

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    Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and fold gently with a spoon until just combined; careful not to overmix.

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    Add the zucchini (if zucchini has lots of moisture, wring out in a paper towel), bananas, walnuts, and fold gently to combine. At this point, the batter should be relatively thick—if it’s not because of the moisture in the bananas and zucchini, feel free to add up to 1/4 cup of additional flour.

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    Grease one 9x5u0022 loaf pan with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan. Pour batter into pan. Feel free to sprinkle more walnuts on top for extra crunch!

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    Bake for about 52 to 60 minutes (I baked 57 minutes) or until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking time will vary based on moisture content of zucchini, bananas, and other factors. Adjust baking time based on your own bread.

If you want to warm up on a cold or rainy day

Banana Bread cake pastry
Eryn White

Blueberry and Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time:1 hour Total time:1 hour 20 minutesServings:8 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

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    Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar with a hand mixer.

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    Add bananas, eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and baking soda in separate medium bowl and blend until smooth. Then gradually pour the banana mixture into the butter mixture with the flour. Fold with spatula or wooden spoon until combined.

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    IT’S BLUEBERRY TIME! If you’re using frozen blueberries, make sure you pat them dry and remove any ice or your batter may be too wet.

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    Grease a 9x5u0022 loaf pan with butter and coat it with sugar. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

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    Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. The edges will be a dark brown and there will be a nice crack on top!

And last, but not least, if you want something to go with your coffee at breakfast

st patricks bread wheat
Eryn White

Lemon Poppy Seed Banana Bread

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time:1 hour Total time:1 hour 20 minutesServings:8 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

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    Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the banana and mix well.

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    Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition. And then mix in the lemon juice, flour, baking soda, vanilla, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest all together.

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    Line a 9x5u0022 loaf pan with parchment, and grease or spray with cooking spray (I like to use parchment paper and grease for this one as it can be pretty dense). Pour batter into the prepared pan.

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    Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean!

#SpoonTip: Slice the banana bread and place individually in sandwich-size Ziploc bags for easy breakfasts or snacks that last.

Banana Bread candy cake
Eryn White