Sweetened naturally with ripe bananas, and a touch of maple syrup, you won’t feel any guilt in having a fat slice of this Paleo Chocolate Bread any time of day!
I mean, a website can never have too many recipes for banana bread, can it?! As I was typing this one up, I realized that I already had a very similar recipe for Double Chocolate Cashew Butter Banana Bread already posted, which is actually the recipe I based this Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread from…inspired by myself, what can I say.
However, this time around rather than using oat flour like in the previous recipe, I used almond flour since it’s what I had on hand. In doing so, it’s now technically paleo friendly for anyone who needs it!
What I love the most about this recipe is that it’s sweet, but not overly sweet. I mean, I’m ALL for a decadently sweet dessert, but I also like the idea of having energy after eating said food, and I also like any excuse to have chocolate at breakfast without it draining my energy the rest of the day.
That’s the beauty of understanding how your food and ingredient choices can directly impact your health on many different fronts. I firmly believe that when you build a base knowledge and develop a general awareness around food and ingredients, you will become a more empowered, educated and mindful consumer…without having to be obsessive about it, or feeling like your food choices control you.
I have nothing wrong with having a full fledged decadent dessert at times, but I know that how it impacts my body — feeling sluggish, tired, unmotivated, “blah” — is not how I want to spend *most* of my days. For me, this isn’t in the least bit restrictive, it’s actually super freeing to understand how food impacts my body.
If there’s anything I want to instill in you, my faithful reader, it’s that you absolutely can make food choices from a place of empowerment and confidence. You don’t have to choose the “healthy” option every single time, but ya know what, it’s okay if you DO. What’s most important is your mindset and internal dialogue behind your decision.
Sometimes it feels like “healthified”, “paleo”, “refined sugar free” desserts can be looked down upon or seen as a gateway to disordered eating patterns or orthorexia. Sure, they certainly could play a role in that depending on your personal relationship with food, but I don’t believe that “healthified” desserts are the main reason. Just like there’s nothing wrong or bad about eating the “regular” dessert, there’s nothing inherently wrong with “healthy” options. It’s all in your motives.
Anyyyyyway, kinda went on a tangent with that. But it really is my desire for you to enjoy the food you eat and feel empowered in your choices.
But, let’s get back to the PALEO CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD, shall we?! It’s the perfect amount of sweet without giving you a tummy ache, yet loaded with delicious flavor, simple ingredients, and minimal prep time. Woo!
A few notes regarding substitutions:
- Don’t substitute coconut flour. I repeat, DO NOT USE COCONUT FLOUR AS A SUBSTITUTE. It isn’t a 1:1 ratio with oat flour, so if you attempt to use 2 cups of coconut flour you will end up with the crumbliest, dryest bread you will ever lay your eyes on. Stick with almond flour, or you could use oat flour, though of course it would no longer be “paleo”.
- You CAN use pretty much whatever nut/seed butter your heart or stomach desires. I did almond butter because it’s what I had on hand.
- You can use whatever type of chocolate bar you want, or even just use chocolate chips! Again, I used what I had on hand, which this go round was JOJO’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter bar. Highly recommend, you can use code FFF10 on their website HERE for 10% off your order!
- I haven’t tried this used a flax egg to make the recipe vegan, so I’m not sure how well it will turn out or what other adjustments would need to be made. I did take a food science class in college, but I retained about 2% of the info and the science/art of baking wasn’t part of it 😉
- You could also use this fabulous recipe to make MUFFINS! Just pour into individual muffin tins and reduce baking time to 20-22 minutes.
Feel free to Pin this bad boy to Pinterest so you can easily access it in the future!!!
Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup cashew or almond butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 bar dark chocolate of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or spray with oil.
- Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl, dry ingredients together in another before adding dry to wet. Stir together until just combined. Fold in chopped dark chocolate, reserving some to sprinkle on top.
- Even pour batter into loaf pan, adding extra chocolate on top if desired. Transfer to oven to bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool before slicing up and serving! Pairs well with a big spoonful of nut butter 😉
