A few weeks ago, I said something that got me into trouble: "I'm ready for fall."
Jaws dropped, eyes rolled, and a chorus of, "You bite your tongue!" and, "Take that back!" rang out around me in a room of Bostonians. See, summer is a precious time here in New England. Spring always feels like it comes too late, and fall creeps up before we know it.
Some people complain when the weather starts to turn crisp...and then you have people like me who can't wait to pull out my sweaters and start baking fall treats! Yesterday was the first day that signaled to my pumpkin spice spidey senses that fall is truly on its way. I donned my favorite GW sweatshirt (Raise High!) and took one look at the brown, spotty bananas sitting on my counter: it was time to bake my first banana bread of the season!
I received Thug Kitchen as a Christmas gift a couple years ago and must say that they have truly discovered the greatest combination of texture and flavors in this vegan banana bread! I've altered a couple of ingredients based on what I had in my pantry and added chocolate because, well, why the hell not?
I've shared this banana bread with vegans and non-vegans alike, and it is always a hit!
Vegan Banana Bread (adapted from Thug Kitchen)
Ingredients:
2 c. oat flour (just grind up rolled oats in a food processor)
1 c. flour (I used organic white flour, but you can also use whole wheat or all purpose GF flour)
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. nondairy milk (I used almond)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
4 very brown and spotty bananas
1/3 c. maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted and cooled slightly)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. dark chocolate chunks (or chips)
coconut sugar (for sprinkling on top - you could also use regular sugar)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. I like to use coconut oil cooking spray.
2. Pour the almond milk into a glass or bowl and add the lemon juice. Mix it together and let it sit. This is to "sour" the milk so it becomes like buttermilk. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
3. Place the bananas in a food processor or blender and pulse until they are completely smooth and no pieces remain. This helps your banana bread to be moist throughout, rather than just having pieces of banana in the bread.
4. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk the bananas with the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. When combined, add the milk/lemon mixture and whisk until it's all incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and whisk until everything is completely smooth.
7. Fold in the chocolate, or skip it if you aren't into chocolatey banana goodness (I won't judge you...that much).
8. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and top with a good sprinkling of coconut sugar so the top gets caramelized and golden. If you used chocolate in the bread, add a few more pieces of chocolate on top so it looks pretty!
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes before (carefully) transferring to a wire rack to cool.
