So much has happened over the recent week that I don’t even know where to begin… I took my first trip to Europe with a few friends and explored the city of Berlin. The days were filled with museums, art, beer, and potatoes. I had a blast and can’t wait for my next trip. While I was on vacation I also caught wind of all that was happening in Ferguson, MO, and couldn’t help but feel a mix of sadness and anger over the events. This clip from Melissa Harris-Perry’s show lends strong insight into why I feel the way that I do. But on a lighter note, I got to witness David Chang and some of the Momofuku team participate in the #ALSicebucketchallenge, which I must say was quite entertaining. And related to absolutely none of that, here is my recipe for chocolate chip almond banana bread with flax seeds.
Banana bread has been one of my favorite food items since childhood. I’m not really sure what it is about it that makes me love it so much, but I truly do. The recipe presented here is not your standard version that your grandmother makes. The chocolate chips and almonds are nothing entirely new the the banana bread game—it’s the flax seeds that throw in the twist here. I have a decently large container of them in my pantry, so I thought that mixing them into the batter would be a great use and would provide an extra nutritional boost. Some even call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. This should make you less guilty about having an extra slice. I sprinkled on some oats for a little more visual texture, but they’re definitely not necessary. Lastly, I also tried a few in muffin form to see how they would turn out—I think I baked the muffins slightly too long though, as they were a not as moist as the whole loaf. Maybe next time.
Ingredients:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 large, ripe bananas (approx. 1 1/3 cups)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet or dark)
- 1/2 cup chopped, roasted almonds
- 1/4 cup flax seeds
Procedure:
- Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Then add in your bananas.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and allspice together.
- Beginning and ending with the dry mixture, alternate adding in that and the milk.
- Mix in chocolate chips, almonds, and flax seeds at the end.
- Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until done.
Yes, one of the muffins went missing over the length of this photo shoot.
Leave a Reply