I love the way my house smells when I bake banana nut bread. It’s been one of my favorites since I was a child when my grandmother would make it. For years I followed her recipe to the “T,” but now I have made it my own. How?
I simply cut down on the amount of sugar and white flour and added a few choice ingredients that make it healthier for my family, but just as good as I remember.
My grandmother’s recipe called for about 2 cups of sugar. I dropped my recipe to less than half of that and added apple sauce to help sweeten and provide a bit of dietary fiber. To boost that fiber, I also added flax seed, which is also a great source of heart- and brain-healthy omega-3s.
But my favorite ingredient is walnuts. I used to make it nut-free because nuts can be expensive. But knowing how chockfull of healthy fats walnuts are, I consider it a ‘good health’ investment. So bring on the walnuts!
Banana nut bread
Total time
- 4 ripe bananas
- ½ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup wheat flour
- ½ cup white flour
- ¼ cup of flax seed
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Place bananas in a large bowl and mash with mixer.
- Stir in sugar and let stand 15 minutes.
- Add applesauce and eggs and beat well.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into greased 9×5 loaf pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
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