What quick bread is more popular this time of year than Irish Soda Bread. Made from pantry staples, this homemade bread is adaptable and an easy accompaniment for any dinner during these cold months.
Category: Bread
Nutella Banana Bread
Moist banana bread is swirled with rich Nutella for a sweet breakfast or snack.
How is this year already halfway over? How is it already July… and halfway through July at that?!
We have no summer vacation plans this year. We’re in survival mode. Work, daycare, prepping for the shift to send one kid to kindergarten and another to a new daycare/preschool… the kiddos are getting a vacation at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a few weeks later this summer (the beach!), while we get a reprieve from childcare costs and a few weeks to relax and catch up on work and house stuff.
I really do feel like I”m in survival mode lately – it’s a wonder that I’m managing to post here once a week. I make it a priority because it’s my creative outlet and I enjoy it, but it’s tough, nevertheless.
Today’s post is one that doesn’t take long to mix up (I managed to make it and get it in the oven while the kids were playing one evening), and is great for using up those too-ripe bananas. I do have a whole wheat banana bread recipe that I love, but the kids have been obsessed with Nutella lately, and a sweet variation on a classic isn’t such a bad thing. Super moist, this banana bread is swirled with rich Nutella-infused threads for a more decadent breakfast or snack.
Nutella Banana Bread
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil
- 3 ripe bananas mashed (about 1 cup mashed banana)
- 1/2 c. Nutella
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350. Spray a standard loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
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In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vegetable oil. Add wet ingredients as well as mashed bananas to the dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combine.
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In another microwave-safe bowl, place Nutella. Microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Remove from microwave and add about 1/3 of the batter. Stir to combine.
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Place non-Nutella batter into load pan. Top with Nutella mixture. Use a butter knife to gently swirl Nutella mixture into regular batter.
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Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into bread comes out clean.
This recipe was adapted from Rachel Ray.
Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Moist whole wheat banana bread – customized to taste with chocolate chips or walnuts – it a healthy(ish) breakfast or snack for busy days. Best part? It’s kid-approved.
Two months full of travel and houseguests has finally come to an end. Last week was the last trip on my calendar for a while, and I’m thrilled with having some downtime. I got a surprise day off last week due to some pretty horrendous winds and managed to knock out most of the laundry that had piled up. And I got to spend some special “craft time” with my daughter (who is soooo much like me!). The winds died down enough over the weekend for me to get in a nice long walk, some time with friends, and quite a bit of time in the kitchen. I even managed to steal a few hours to work on a scrapbook. I can’t remember when I managed to fit so much into a weekend!
This recipe is what I call a Mom Win. It’s relatively healthy, as it’s made with whole wheat flour, bananas, and apple sauce (to reduce the amount of butter in the recipe). AND BOTH MY KIDS ATE IT!!! Miss. Hazelnut – the world’s pickiest eater who is known for gagging when a banana comes within an inch of her mouth – actually liked it! I was shocked! Who am I kidding? I am STILL in shock.
I’ve made this bread several times before. My personal favorite is adding in coarsely chopped walnuts, because I love the contrasting texture it brings to a soft, moist bread. Not to mention the extra protein and fiber. Unfortunately, walnuts aren’t daycare-friendly. Instead, I used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, which I knew the kiddos would love.
So if you’re looking to make a healthy snack or breakfast for your or your family, may I suggest this banana bread?
Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Moist whole wheat banana bread – customized to taste with chocolate chips or walnuts – it a healthy(ish) breakfast or snack for busy days. Best part? It’s kid-approved.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 c. unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 2 ripe bananas mashed (about 1 c. mashed banana)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 c. whole wheat all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips or walnuts optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a standard loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches) with cooking spray and set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat butter, apple sauce and sugar until combined. Add mashed banana and beat in. Repeat with eggs and vanilla extract. Finally, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat to combine, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips or nuts, if using.
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Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Allow to cool for 15 minutes in plan before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool complete.
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Store, covered in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Makes 1 loaf of banana bread, about 10 slices.
This recipe was adapted from Whole Wheat Banana-Nut Bread in Williams-Sonoma Cooking At Home (p. 434).
Chocolate Zucchini Bread #Choctoberfest
A rich chocolate bread topped with a generous sprinkle of sea salt, children and adults alike will enjoy this Chocolate Zucchini Bread, or “Chocolate Cake,” for those fearful of veggies!
Disclaimer: Thank you to #Choctoberfest Sponsors Barleans, The PinterTest Kitchen and our gold sponsor Imperial Sugar for providing prizes for #Choctoberfest free of charge. These companies, as well as sponsors Rodelle and Davis Chocolate also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #Choctoberfest. All opinions are my own.
Sweet things happen when families are together in the kitchen. When I pull out my sugar jar – which is currently filled to the brim with Imperial Sugar, my kiddos come running. They know that Mommy is going to be making something, and even if they won’t eat it, they’re sure going to help make it. I have memories from baking with my own mother and grandparents and I love the time I spend making those same lifelong memories with my own children. Holidays and every day.
And so, a couple of weeks ago, the sugar jar came out and little feet came running. Out came the flour, Rodelle cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. What are we making, Mommy? Wait for us, we want to help! We set up the ingredients, got each kid propped up on a stool and started measuring and stirring.
One ingredient remained hidden from my kiddos though. Remember all of that zucchini that I had this summer? Well, some of it ended up shredded and in my freezer for baking at a later date. And one of those bags of zucchini was destined for the recipe the kiddos and I were making. They just didn’t know it.
You see, I love my usual zucchini bread recipe, but the kids won’t touch it because they can see flecks of green. With this bread, the kids can’t see the zucchini. I can call the bread “chocolate cake” and they’ll eat it with no problem. While not the healthiest out there, the little bit of zucchini in each slice is more vegetable they usually get in a day. (Side Note: Can someone please tell me when picky eaters get easier? Anyone? Lies being accepted!) For myself, I added a generous sprinkle of sea salt to the top of the bread, the perfect balance to the sweet, rich chocolate bread.
HUGE thanks to Imperial Sugar and Rodelle for sponsoring #Choctoberfest! Be sure to scroll down to enter the GIVEAWAY, which includes a ton of sugar and a $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma both from Imperial Sugar, as well as some other goodies. Full giveaway details here.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
A rich chocolate bread topped with a generous sprinkle of sea salt, children and adults alike will enjoy this Chocolate Zucchini Bread, or “Chocolate Cake,” for those fearful of veggies!
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 1/2 c. packed shredded zucchini unpeeled
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c. Dutch process cocoa powder I used Rodelle
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt plus more for top
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 c. canola oil
- 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar I used Imperial Sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract I used Rodelle
- 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips divided
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
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Place shredded zucchini in a clean towel or wrap in cheese cloth. Squeeze to get out most of the water. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, stir or whisk together eggs, melted butter, canola oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add shredded zucchini, breaking up any large pieces. Stir in dry ingredients. When almost all of the dry ingredients are mixed in but some of the flour mixture remains on the sides and bottom, add 3/4 c. chocolate chips. Continue mixing until chocolate chips are evenly distributed and no more flour is on sides of pan.
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Pour into prepared loaf pan, spreading as needed with a spoon or spatula and tapping the counter with the pan a few times for dough to settle. Top with remaining 1/4 c. chocolate chips and a generous sprinkling of sea salt.
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Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out mostly clean. The bread is moist, so it likely won't be complete clean. Don't overbake.
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Allow bread to cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan and placing on a serving dish.
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Store airtight at room temperature.
This recipe was rewritten but barely adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod
Mom’s Zucchini Bread #FarmersMarketWeek
My Mom’s Zucchini Bread is moist and flavorful, making it a wonderful breakfast or mid-day snack.
The year I graduated college, right before I moved out on my own, my mom gave me one of the best, most thoughtful, most frequently-used Christmas gifts ever. A set of cookbooks. Four cookbook binders, filled with all of our family recipes and interspersed with family photos. She painstakingly typed up what was probably over a hundred recipes, printed them on beautiful paper, and slide each recipe into a protective plastic sheet so that no matter how far away from home I went, I would be able to make our family classics. These cookbooks get a little fatter each year as we find new recipes we love, but they are definitely one of the best Christmas presents I have received. Ever.
When my garden started producing zucchini last month, I knew immediately that I was going to dig into those cookbooks and make one of my childhood favorites for you. Farmers Market Week with my blogger friends was the perfect excuse. If you don’t have any zucchini growing in your back yard, be sure to check your local farmers market. I’ll betcha a loaf of bread that you’ll find some beautiful zucchini there, maybe even big enough to eek out two loaves of this bread (one for now, one for the freezer? one for home, one for work? It won’t go to waste, I promise).
One recipe note: My favorite version of this bread is with a generous cup of walnuts – I just love the slight crunch to an otherwise soft and very moist bread. Include nuts or skip them (as I did this summer, since our daycare is nut-free) or even add mini chocolate chips if you’d like – whatever your family enjoys.
Thanks to Cynthia at Feeding Big and Christie at A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting Farmer’s Market Week this year. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to check out more recipes inspired by our local farmer’s markets from our blogging community.
Mom’s Zucchini Bread
My Mom’s Zucchini Bread is moist and flavorful, making it a wonderful breakfast or mid-day snack.
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 2 c. shredded, not peeled zucchini
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground all spice
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 c. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 - 1 c. chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
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Press shredded zucchini in a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Add eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla into the well and stir to mix well. Fold in shredded zucchini as well as nuts or chocolate chips, if using.
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Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Cool before moving to a serving plate.
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Bread will keep, covered tightly with plastic wrap, for about 5 days.
Recipe Notes:
- Bread can also be made into muffins. Makes about 18 muffins. Cook at same temperature, but for 20-25 minutes.
#FarmersMarket Wednesday Recipes
Chicken and Summer Veggie Tostadas by The Redhead Baker
Peach-Almond Mousse by Red Cottage Chronicles
Easy Creamed Corn by Feeding Big
Easy Zucchini Refrigerator Pickles by Simple and Savory
Fresh Applesauce by Palatable Pastime
Fresh Raspberry Streusel Muffins by Family Around The Table
Grilled Garden Pizza by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Italian Sausage and Summer Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner by Cooking with Carlee
Lemon Curd by The Freshman Cook
Mom’s Zucchini Bread by Books n’ Cooks
Peaches & Cream Protein Smoothie by Tip Garden
Quick Pickles by Bear & Bug Eats
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Roasted Eggplant with Tahini by Caroline’s Cooking
Spicy Summer Squash Refrigerator Pickles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla