Recipe: Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

In my weekly produce delivery, I get a lot of bananas. When they are green, I eat them by themselves, on cereal, or with some granola and yogurt. When they are brown, they do not appeal to me at all. Rather than continue to throw them away, I began my search for the perfect banana bread.

My prayers were answered in a recent Slashfood post. The blogger found the original recipe on another blog, and that blogger got it from somewhere else, and so on, and so on. Since I had all of the (relatively few) ingredients handy, I whipped up a batch a few nights ago. The bread was moist, tasty, and an absolute hit with my hungry (and picky) co-workers.

The only hitch? My boyfriend and I are trying to stick to a low-fat, lower-calorie diet, and the bread–while it doesn’t contain any oil or butter–does have a couple of eggs and a lot of sugar. So, I modified a few ingredients and tried again, this time hoping to create a better-for-you baked treat that tastes as good as the original. Thankfully, my second, healthier batch was indistinguishable from the first in both flavor and texture. Victory!

Those who are unconcerned with matters of the waistline can certainly click the link above to find the original recipe. For the rest of us, here’s my edited version–enjoy!

Makes about 10-12 large slices. Cooking time: 40 minutes.

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup Egg Beaters
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Splenda for baking
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs, and stir well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix. Add ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

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Posted in Recipes
Tags: Bread, EatFoo, Recipes, Slashfood