Delicious Banana Bread with Half the Sugar
Bananas are one of my favourite fruits and I’d eat one every day if I could find the ripeness level that meets my standards. I’m not high maintenance when it comes to food in general, but with bananas, if there’s even one spot on them, they’re already beyond my (ripeness) tolerance level. So whenever I am left with some ripe bananas at home, which happens often, I make Banana Bread!
I’ve been making this Banana Bread since my first year at university! So it’s been tried and tested countless times over the past two decades by at least a hundred of my friends, family, and colleagues. I have not received a single criticism yet! As with all my recipes, I have experimented with cutting down the sugar by 25% to 50% and I’m happy to report that I was able to achieve the perfect balance with only a half cup of sugar and balanced it with some semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you skip the chocolate chips and only use nuts, then I’d definitely increase the sugar to two-thirds or even one full cup. ⠀
Prep time: 15 mins | Bake time: 35-45 mins | Servings: 8 - 10 slices
Ingredients
1¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)*
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp table salt
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
½ cup sugar**
2 large eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 to 1¼ cup)
Instructions
Whisk the flour with the next 3 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
If you have whole walnuts, chop them into small pieces.
Mix the butter with sugar in a mixer on medium speed until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time and mix until fully incorporated.
Add the mashed bananas and mix on low speed until fully blended.
Add the dry flour mixture about half a cup at a time to the wet mixture and gently fold in with a spatula until evenly mixed (do not over-mix).
Add the walnuts and chocolate chips and gently mix until combined.
Heat oven to 350°F.
Transfer to a greased loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) and cover with foil.
Bake for 35 - 45 mins, turning once and remove the foil when the center starts to look almost done.
Bake for 10 more mins or so, until the top is evenly browned.
Insert a toothpick in the center of the bread and if it comes out clean, then it's done!
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Store at room temperature in a covered container for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Recipe Notes
*Spoon & level method - do not scoop flour out of the bag/container with your measuring cup. Instead, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup and once full, use the back of a knife to level off the cup; do not tap the cup.
**use ¾ cup of sugar if you prefer your banana bread to be sweeter.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know how it turns out.
Comment below or share a photo on IG and tag @emmaya.us.
About Me
Hi there! I’m Tahmina - mom of two girls, an engineer, a passionate baker, a decent cook, and a creative event planner.
I’ve always enjoyed baking but became passionate about it after I had my first child. Now I combine my knowledge from working in the food industry and increased interest in food and nutrition to experiment with various ingredients and recipes.