COCONUT CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

It is a gorgeous winter wonderland today in lovely Asheville. The perfect time to relax and embrace all the wonderful enjoyments of being homebound. I did prepare and stock up on wonderful items to create cozy recipes and a little baking as well. It has been a while since I made banana bread so I decided to make two new recipes, both with a little touch of protein powder. This recipe is low in fat and sugar but full of flavor. I know protein is the word of the moment for many reasons. For me, I am concentrating on building bone and muscle mass, which is a challenge as we age. So, look forward to more protein-forward, low sugar, low fat recipes in the future!

For this recipe, I divided it up into 2 portions…8 muffins and a small loaf.  You can just make this in a standard loaf pan. I like the smaller portions so I can freeze and warm as desired.

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
6 tblspns unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup greek yogurt (I used coconut yogurt)
1/2 cup dark brownsugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with softened butter. Or, a small loaf pan and muffin pan.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas coarsely using a fork. Should be slightly creamy, but OK if some larger lumpy pieces remain.
Using a blender, whisk in the melted butter, yogurt, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla.
In a separate, sift the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Add the flour mixture to the bank mixture and stir to combine using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Scrape sides down to make sure all ingredients are combined.

Gently stir in the coconut and chocolate chips, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer.
Sprinkle the top with a little coconut and sugar (optional)
Bake approximately 1 hour…watch and cover with foil if top starts to become too brown.
Transfer from oven to a cooling rack. Let cool in the pan for approximately 15 minutes before unfolding and cooling completely.

Bon Appétit 🧡