Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I recently came across this recipe while searching for bread recipes. Not quite the bread I originally had in mind to make, but my uncontrollable urge to satisfy my sweet tooth got the best of me. The title alone was enough to convince me to give it a try.  Imagine my excitement when I read the list of ingredients and realized it also contained chocolate chips! :-) I could already imagine just how good this was going to taste.

The original recipe contains refined sugar, which of course I wanted to replace.  I used maple syrup instead and was able to reduce the amount of overall sugar by 1/4 cup.  This is also oil free!

This recipe is adapted from Eggless Cooking:

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cup organic pastry flour 

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed banana (2 medium bananas)

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.  


In a small bowl, mix rice milk and cider vinegar and set aside so the mixture can curdle (about 5 minutes).


In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.


In a separate bowl, combine mashed banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, curdled milk mixture and vanilla.


Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.   Stir in the chocolate chips.


Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.    Place on wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.

There was no one flavor that overpowered the bread, it was a nice blend of peanut butter, banana and chocolate.  It came out super moist and delicious!  My sister said, and I quote, "My favorite part was the chocolate chips!".  I couldn't have said it better myself! :-)  I actually made this about a week ago and she was wondering why I hadn't posted the recipe yet.  Well, here it is! 

My cat Sam was watching the whole process from his new favorite spot.  I wonder what he's thinking?

I bet he's thinking "that smells good!"


Meow! =^..^=

Banana Chocolate Walnut Cookies

I am one happy baker today! I was finally able to successfully adapt a cookie recipe to my liking by making it healthier and having it actually turn out right. What you don't know is that for the past week or so, I've been trying out different cookie recipes using various substitutions for butter, sugar, oil and all-purpose flour.  For whatever reason, the combinations I put together did not yield the best results.

Part of what helped me succeed is a book called "The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions" by Celine Steen & Joni Marie Newman that I borrowed from my sister.   This book is a wealth of information that I highly recommend to anyone interested in vegan cooking/baking.  Not only are there suggestions for supermarket substitutions for milk, eggs, cheese, meat, animal by-products (honey & gelatin), gluten, sugar, soy & fat, but there are also recipes for how to make your own from scratch!  Each chapter contains one real, non-vegan recipe with suggestions on how to substitute with vegan ingredients.  They also provide you with lots of vegan recipes per chapter.   I especially appreciated the chapter that discussed the different types of flours and which kinds are best to use in what type of recipe.  In addition, they give excellent advice on how to adjust other dry and wet ingredients in a recipe when you want to use liquid sweeteners in place of refined sugar.  This is going on my "must buy" list!


On to the cookies... this recipe is adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar.

Banana Chocolate Walnut Cookies

(makes 24 cookies)

Ingredients

1 ripe banana (medium)

2/3 cup Organic, Grade B maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp quinoa flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease two baking sheets (I used coconut oil). In large mixing bowl, mash banana.  Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix together. Add flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon to wet ingredients and mix until moistened.  Add oats, walnuts and chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Ingredients combined

Scoop out sections of dough slightly smaller than palm sized (I used an ice cream scooper).  Form dough into a ball, place on greased cookie sheet and flatten with your hand.   Place each ball 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned (mine took 11 minutes).  Cool for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

By using maple syrup in place of refined sugar, I was able to completely eliminate the need for oil in this recipe.  Double bonus (no refined sugar or oil)!  Also, quinoa flour adds additional nutrition as it's rich in protein, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and is also gluten free.  It makes for moist and tender baked goods, and has a nutty flavor, perfect for this type of cookie.  It can be found at most health food stores.


These cookies are moist, chewy and ooey, gooey delicious!


Oh, and someone was very interested in the Rice Milk.....

Don't worry, I didn't actually let him have any.  He just got close enough to think he was getting some.  Silly cat!  :)  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Oh how I love cookie dough; and since I pretty much have [Vegan] chocolate running through my veins, the two mixed together are one of my favorite treats!   I remember eating cookie dough straight out of the Pillsbury package it came in when I was younger.  Of course I can't do that anymore because A) it's not Vegan and B) it's anything but "natural".   When I first became Vegan, one of the first things I did was research how to make Vegan desserts.   Should I be embarrassed to admit that? No, I don't need to know what I can eat for dinner tonight, just dessert thank you. :)

There are many Vegan chocolate chip cookie dough recipes out there, but this one is very easy to make with natural ingredients and so good!  Don't be fooled into thinking it can't possibly taste as good as the "real thing" based on the ingredients.  It somehow tastes just like cookie dough!

Adapted from Averie Cooks:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

(yields 16-20 balls)

Ingredients

2/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup oats

3 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup Vegan chocolate chips 

Place cashews and oats in food processor/blender, blend into a flour-like consistency.  Add maple syrup & vanilla extract.  Blend again until combined.  

Place mixture in bowl and add chocolate chips.  Mix with spoon.  Refrigerate mixture for up to 30 minutes (this will take the "stickiness" out of the dough and make it easier to roll into balls).   

Roll into balls and enjoy!   

I use Enjoy Life's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini-Chips (dairy, nut & soy free).  They only contain three ingredients:  Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Chocolate Liquor (Non-Alcoholic), and Non Diary Cocoa Butter.  I've researched these ingredients and have not personally found anything wrong with them.  If anyone knows otherwise, please feel free to share with me (although I might be devastated) ;)  

Okay, I'm off to devour some (more) of these!! :)