Healthy Skillet Banana Bread
The following recipe and photography is courtesy of Graham R. and his dog, Carl. For more of their delicious food ventures, visit them on Instagram @cookingwithcarrrl.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it was how to make banana bread! A year or so ago, everyone and their mother became banana bread experts and shared their baked beauties online. It was fun, but the only problem I noticed was that every recipe was loaded with butter and sugar, you know, the good stuff!
This Skillet Banana Bread starts to correct some of those unhealthy woes by using coconut oil and organic coconut sugar in place of butter and processed sugar. I picked up a bag of Madhava coconut sugar from Heinen’s and have been in love ever since. It is a great 1-to-1 replacement for your average sugar. Oh, and I can’t forget the flour! For this recipe, I ditched regular flour for gluten free flour and couldn’t even taste the difference in the end. Look at me being healthy, watch out 2022!
Bananas can seem ripe one minute and then turn at a moment’s notice. One tip I have is to freeze bad bananas. The ones I used in this recipe were frozen for two months before I thawed and baked them into this tasty treat! If you do not have bananas that are ready for baking, toss them in the oven for a few minutes at 350˚F. This will bring out the sweetness that is found in an overripe banana.
I’m no Martha, but you could bake these in small 6-inch cast iron skillets and give them out as gifts, too. You could even pair this with, I don’t know, my Sweet & Smokey Snack Mix! Now that’s a crafty gift full of love.
Let’s go bananas!
Healthy Skillet Banana Bread
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3-4 large ripe bananas
- 2 Heinen’s cage free eggs
- 1/2 cup Heinen’s coconut oil
- 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 oz. (1 bar) Two Brothers dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup Heinen’s milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl. I have made this with two and three bananas, but prefer three. Save one banana for topping.
- Add the eggs, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and coconut oil to the bowl, making sure to melt the coconut oil beforehand. Chunks of coconut oil may remain as it cools, and this is fine.
- Next, add the flour and baking powder. Mix until smooth. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate.
- Place the batter in a greased skillet. Slice one banana in half and place it on top of the batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, check the banana bread using a toothpick. You know the drill, if the toothpick comes out clean, it is finished.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Since this bread is a bit dense compared to regular banana bread, I recommend serving with coffee or hot spice cider!
