Gluten-free coconut banana bread with nuts or chocolate chips

A few weeks ago, I made a banana bread that did not manage to bake all the way before the kids were scheduled to leave for an overnight trip. The next morning, at 7am, all three of them were plowing through the front door to get to the banana-ey goodness. My husband and I had eaten some while they were away, but they ate the remainder of the loaf in about four minutes.

Left: Chocolate chip/coconut
Right: Walnut/coconut

Due to everyone’s conflicting food aversions and preferences in my house, I like to make a double-batch of banana bread (two loaves), and make one banana-nut and the other banana-chocolate chip. (The kids will not eat nuts. My husband claims he doesn’t like chocolate)

I made this recipe with gluten-free flour, and I added a little unsweetened dehydrated shredded coconut. (Not the sugar-coated shredded coconut you usually see atop coconut cream pies.) It gives the bread a slightly tropical flavor without being overly sweet. If you don’t like coconut, skip that step. It still works.

I have made this with both butter and coconut oil. Both are delicious. If you use coconut oil, it should be in its solid form (not liquid). The oil liquefies at warmer temperatures. To get liquid oil to harden up again, measure the desired quantity and put it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

At the last step of this recipe, you decide whether to add nuts or chocolate chips, or both. 

This recipe makes one loaf. To make two, double all ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Grease the bottom of one loaf pan

>These are the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, mix together

1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free baking flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

¼ tsp xanthan gum (optional)

>These are the wet ingredients

In another medium bowl, combine

2 mashed bananas

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp gluten free vanilla

Using a mixer (or your really strong arms), beat together until creamy

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter (3/4 stick) or solid coconut oil

Take turns adding wet and dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture, using about 1/3 of each at a time until everything is well blended.

Add

½ cup chopped nuts (I like walnuts or pecans in this)

or

½ cup dark chocolate chips

or both

Stir just long enough to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Finished GF banana breads. Left: chocolate chip. Right: walnut.
I did not split the batter quite evenly on these,
so the one on the left took longer to cook.

Bake at 350F for about an hour, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Allow the finished bread to cool for about 10 minutes (Very important. Hot bread tends to give you trouble coming out of the pan. And it’s hard to manage a 350-degree pan).

Run a metal spatula between the sides of the loaf and the interior of the pan.

Turn the pan out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool as long as the other people in your house will let you before they climb over you to get to the bread. (The cooler it is, the more cleanly it will slice).

Gluten-free banana nut pancakes for one or two

Every once in a while, when we get the kids off to school, my hubby and I have a quiet morning in which we get to eat whatever we want. If I have a few bananas hanging around, I love to make these flourless banana-nut pancakes. They are pretty small, but the nuts make them rather filling.

One of two small pancakes

Notes:
Keep the skillet on medium-low heat. Because of the natural sugars from the banana and the coconut flour, the cake will brown quickly. If you use high heat, the exterior will burn before the inside sets.
Since these pancakes have no gluten or xanthan gum holding them together, they can be crumbly. Take care when flipping.
This recipe may be doubled if you have 2 bananas, or if you are very hungry.

Makes two pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. gluten-free vanilla
• 2 tbsp. Bob's Red Mill almond flour
• 1 tbsp. Bob's Red Mill coconut flour
• 1/8 tsp. gluten-free baking powder (omit this for a Paleo option)
• 1 tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans



Mash the banana with a wire whisk

• coconut oil

Directions:
Mash in a small bowl
1 ripe banana

Separate one egg. Add the yolk to the mashed banana.
Put the egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer with the wire whisk blade attached.
Beat the egg white on high speed until soft peaks form.

Add to the banana-egg yolk mixture:

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form

1/4 tsp. gluten-free vanilla
2 tbsp. Bob's Red Mill almond flour
1 tbsp. Bob's Red Mill coconut flour
1/8 tsp. gluten-free baking powder (omit this for a Paleo option)
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans

Gently fold the egg white into the banana-egg-nut mixture with a rubber scraper, folding until the white is well incorporated. Do not overmix (that would deflate your egg whites)

Preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add and allow to melt:
1/4 tsp. coconut oil

Spread the batter around with a spatula

Pour 1/2 of the batter into the skillet. This batter is thick--you will have to spread it around with a rubber scraper to make a flat pancake shape.


Cook the pancake on medium-low heat until bubbles form in the top surface and do not immediately close up with batter, about 4 minutes per side. Gently flip the pancake with a spatula. As you start to slide the spatula under the cake, take a peek at the bottom side. It should be a rich dark brown before you attempt to flip.

Before cooking the second pancake, add another 1/4 tsp. coconut oil to the pan. It helps with flipping.

Top with pure maple syrup and enjoy immediately.