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

This recipe is my attempt to “healthify” my Kentucky grandmother’s banana bread without sacrificing the flavor. The original recipe calls for butter, white flour, full fat milk and sugar, all things I’ve replaced with healthier alternatives. In preparation I tried out a few vegan recipes and incorporated some elements from those into this one. As is, it’s dairy-free, whole wheat, low fat and I replaced the sugar with honey and molasses, which at least provide some calcium and iron. Initially I tried to fully veganize the recipe but the consistency was a little off and decided that a little egg and honey would be fine.

It’s an easy choice for college cooking because I found that I could (ahem…) “borrow” large quantities of bananas from the dining hall. Soymilk, salt and honey are also easy to find in the quantities required, so all you need to buy is flour, cinnamon, baking powder, eggs, molasses, vanilla, coconut oil and vegan chocolate chips. All of these ingredients conveniently come in bulk so you can count on being able to make this recipe multiple times after you’ve bought the basics.

Easy

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Servings: 16 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 4 bananas)
3 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup soymilk (or another dairy-free milk)
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1-3 teaspoons cinnamon (depending on how spicy you’re feeling)
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips