Chocolate for breakfast? Why not! While traveling through our beautiful Colorado Rockies last week, my husband found Chocolate Banana Bread in a remote mountain town. His find motivated me to complete my gluten-free version that I’ve been working on for awhile. So here it is.
Gluten-free Chocolate Banana Bread makes a delightful breakfast treat.
Dense, dark, and chewy, this not-too-sweet breakfast bread contains no added sugar. The mild sweetness comes from the bananas, fruit juice, and chocolate chips so it is a good start for the day. Think of it as a flatbread, cut it like brownies, and eat it when you want something rewarding, with a bit of fiber from the nuts and dried fruit.
And the prune juice or pomegranate juice brings wonderful health benefits as well. As for the chocolate chips? Well, consider them a well-deserved bonus. As I always say, “there’s no such thing as too much chocolate.” Now, get in the kitchen and try this yummy breakfast treat.
Chocolate Banana Bread© (No Sugar Added)
By Carol Fenster, author of 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes (Wiley, 2008)
This small, but mighty recipe is very versatile because you can use whatever add-ins you like and vary the fruit juice?both of which are very good for you. Enjoy!!
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup prune juice or pomegranate juice
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend (see below)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
Add-ins: 1/4 cup each finely chopped nuts or raisins or dried cranberries (make sure total equals 3/4 cup)
[1] Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch square nonstick (gray, not black) pan.
[2] In a medium bowl, beat together the mashed banana, egg, juice, and oil with an electric mixer on low speed until well blended.
[3] With the mixer still on low speed, beat in the flour blend, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips, plus add-ins. The dough may be heavy and dense, depending on the add-ins you use. With a wet spatula, spread the batter evenly in the 8-inch pan.
[4] Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with only a bit of melted chocolate on it), about 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, cut into 16 squares, and eat slightly warm, while the chocolate chips are gooey. Makes 16 squares.
Gluten-Free Flour Blend
1 ½ cups sorghum flour
1 ½ cups potato starch (not potato flour)
1 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
Whisk the ingredients together and store, tightly covered, in a dark, dry place.
