Fall is here again! Pumpkin everything again! Some people excited, some annoyed, but a good banana bread is ALWAYS in season, and a seasonal touch is ALWAYS a good idea! Come on, you shall succumb to the pumpkin spice season, and also accept the fact that as long as we live, bananas will brown way too fast, and pumpkins will be celebrated in the Fall….
With that being said, give in, make the banana bread with the seasonal twist and all the spice. It tastes good. Don’t fight it! Give in to the autumn indulgences….especially if they are sprinkled with pecans… my favorite nut which I intentionally add to every dish possible. And chocolate, I also add chocolate, and it specifically goes well on top of this bread.
PUMPKIN BANANA PECAN BREAD
WHAT
- 1 3/4 cups flour of your choice – (I broke it up and used:1 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup almond meal flour, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed – I often like this healthier mix of flours for breads, cakes…)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (or 1 egg + 2 egg whites)
- 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt (or applesauce)
- 1/4 cup local honey or maple syrup
- 2 medium banana, super ripe, mashed
- 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup oil of your choice or butter
- 1/4 cup milk of choice, I used almond milk
- 1/4- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Optional: 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
Spices
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Optional
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in addition, or in place of the pecans/or just a thin bar of chocolate all chopped up (such as hershey’s)!
HOW
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Lower oven rack to middle, this will prevent the top of your bread from browning too much too soon. Spray a 8×8″ brownie pan or regular bread pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- To make it simple, you can use a blender and blend all ingredients, starting by adding the wet ingredients, and introducing the dry ingredients later. This will however change the consistency of the batter and it won’t be as fluffy, but will still taste good. It depends on how much time you have.
***I hand mixed the wet ingredients with a whisk, and then the dry ingredients separately; I then added the wet to dry ingredients. PS: mashed bananas are wet – just in case you were wondering.
4. If using bananas and hand mixing, mash bananas first before adding wet ingredients.
5. Gently fold in pecan pieces in the mix. I like to add chocolate chips or pieces only to the top, but you can also add it in – it goes super well with this particular bread.
6. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining pecans (and chocolate chips) on top.
7. Bake for about 45-55 minutes; I say this because ovens differ so watch out not to under cook the bread. Using the browning pan vs. the bread pan actually helps in this case.
8. You will know it’s ready once you a toothpick is inserted in the center and it comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Delicious!
Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. The bread will be moist and soft.
Enjoy!!!
Xo, Ana
Count Colors, NOT Calories!
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