Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread

Twenty-four years ago I was celebrating my 7th birthday with all my extended family at my grandparents house. I was about to blow out the candles when my parents called to wish me a happy birthday, and to tell me my mom was in labor with my sister Amanda…and I yelled “tell her to hold it in!!” :p (Don’t judge, I was 7)

In honor of both of our birthdays I wanted to share this Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread recipe that I made last year, so now you can celebrate too. :)

Today Jeff & I are heading to my favorite place…the beach! Even though we don’t live near the ocean, here in Chicago we do have Lake Michigan. Thankfully the sun is supposed to be shining bright with temps in the 80’s. Fingers crossed that the stand up paddle boards aren’t all reserved. :)

Last year on my birthday it rained most of the day but Jeff snapped this awesome photo and I just had to share.

Happy Birthday Amanda!

I’ve been posting a lot of dessert recipes lately and I’ve got one more for ya this week. Then I’m gonna cut the sugar because let me tell you, it’s been a little much for me.

Serve this banana bread for breakfast or dessert. Enjoy! :)

Yield: 1 loaf (~14-18 slices)

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 organic eggs
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) dark chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add the bananas, almond butter, cocoa powder, baking soda, sea salt, almond flour, and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, combine all ingredients until there are no longer any banana lumps and everything is well combined.
Melt chocolate, coconut oil and vanilla extract in a small pan over low heat, stir to combine. Once melted, add the chocolate mixture to the large mixing bowl and again use the hand mixer to combine everything. The mixture will transition from a light brown shade to a dark brown shade once the chocolate is combined.
Add chopped walnuts and stir by hand to combine.
Now lay a sheet of parchment paper inside of an 8x8" glass baking dish and pour the mixture in. Remember that dependent on how the parchment is sitting in the dish, that will contribute to the shape of your bread.
Bake bread for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let bread rest for 30 minutes to an hour before putting a lid on the container and transferring to the fridge.
When ready to serve, slice 1 inch pieces across and slice once perpendicular across the middle. Use the parchment paper to easily remove the banana bread and serve. Store leftover bread in the fridge.
I believe this Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread is best served cold. Eat for breakfast or serve for dessert with a piece of Paleo cookie dough on top.
Enjoy! :)

Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread