Baking for the masses

I like to bake, but it usually results lots of wasted sweets that me and Justin just can’t finish. Enter the coworker. My coworkers LOVE sweets, thank goodness. I always feel just a little bad, inundating them with sugary goodness, wrecking their healthy eating plans, but I make myself feel better by thinking that at least they’re getting something homemade. Out with Krispy Kremes, in with banana nut bread.

One of my coworkers requested something a bit healthier for her birthday sweet (I always bring in whatever dessert they request for birthdays…yes, they’re spoiled), and I immediately thought of this recipe. I’ll be baking it tomorrow night for her, in the shape of mini-muffins, and with the addition of craisins instead of chocolate chips. I love recipes that are versatile enough to allow for me to toss in whatever I feel like having at the moment.

And now, for your snacking pleasure, Banana Nut Bread. With chocolate chips. And cinnamon.

Random fun link: The Pioneer Woman Cooks, a fabulously beautiful blog about cooking plain-old American goodness. She makes Lawry’s seasoned salt seem gourmet.

Banana-Nut Bread

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup applesauce
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed bananas
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

(Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup craisins or dried cherries…)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs, applesauce, and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until pale yellow. Add dry ingredients alternately with bananas to mixture. Mix at medium speed until well blended. Pour into greased or sprayed loaf pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before turning out on a rack to cool completely.

Note: When I add cinnamon to the batter, I also sprinkle the top of the loaf with cinnamon-sugar before baking.

Makes 1 loaf.

Source: poco-cocoa.

2 responses to “Baking for the masses”

  1. hello there tia! well just wanted to say this looks amazingly good!! and i miss you cant wait to see you here at graduation! I FLOVE YOU!!

  2. yummy this looks great. i love baking with applesauce; i find it makes everything extra moist and yummy. i liked that you used whole wheat flour too :). I’ve recently discovered that multigrain flour also adds great flavor to breads/muffins while still being very healthy.

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