Chai Spiced Banana Bread
Before COVID-19 and the quarantine was put into place, I would have never considered myself a cook who also loved baking. Frankly, I found it to be complex, tedious and time consuming! On the other hand, cooking savory dishes was more of a free flowing art made to color outside of the lines. Having so much time on my hands these past few weeks, I took the plunge to enhance my culinary skills in the art of baking. With little bit of this and a pinch of that, I created my first recipe for Chai Spiced Banana Bread. Want to know the the best part? IT’S SUPER EASY (even I could do it)!
In this particular recipe, I used walnuts to give some texture, but feel free to add any nuts and seeds your heart desires! If you’re feeling wild, you could throw some diced apples in there as well (here I go, coloring outside the lines). This recipe would also be great with pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds.
For the chai spice, I use a specific blend I buy from Amazon that I consider to be super spicy. HERE is the link in case you want to follow suit. If not, you can use any chai spice blend or create it at home with the following spices: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and a wee bit of black pepper to pack a punch.
THE RECIPE
Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Oat Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Chai Spice
1 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional, but I love it)
1 pinch Salt
1/2 cup Nuts, chopped (I use Walnuts)
Wet Ingredients:
3 Bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Egg (1 Flax Egg for vegan - 1tbsp flax+3tbsp water)
1/4 cup Honey (Maple Syrup for vegan)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all wet ingredients in in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients except for nuts and once combined, add to wet ingredients and incorporate until well mixed. Fold in the nuts and pour into a well greased bread pan (I used coconut oil). If you would like to do a decorative design with bananas similar to my loaf, do this now. Bake for 45 minutes and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before you enjoy!
Share your loaf with me by tagging @creamofthekale. I’d love to see your delicious creations!