Tag: bananas

Bars, Breakfast, Recipes

Fantastical Food Fight: Banana Breakfast Bars

Sarah

These simple freezer-friendly banana breakfast bars come together in a snap and taste SO good! They’re a great breakfast or snack that everyone will love. 

These simple freezer-friendly banana breakfast bars come together in a snap and taste SO good! They're a great breakfast or snack that everyone will love. #FantasticalFoodFight via thepajamachef.com

Apparently these days all my recipes revolve around breakfast or snack time. Ha! I first made these yummy banana breakfast bars in the winter and have since made them several times because they are a) easy, b) addictive, c) pretty healthy, and d) made with ingredients I always, always, ALWAYS have on hand. All three of us love these hybrid granola bar/banana bread recipe that can be enjoyed for an on-the-go breakfast or for a healthy snack option. And my husband likes them doubly-so because they’re made in just one bowl for extra-easy clean up! Haha.

These simple freezer-friendly banana breakfast bars come together in a snap and taste SO good! They're a great breakfast or snack that everyone will love. #FantasticalFoodFight via thepajamachef.com

I’m always on the look out for easy, real-food recipes that I can make for my toddler’s afternoon snack at school… with the dreaded “nut free” caveat. I’m fortunate enough to not have a child with food allergies, so I don’t quite understand that world, though I do try to be sympathetic. But it’s hard because I love me some peanut butter and lots of my favorite recipes include it! So I have to think outside the box a bit for school snacks. We try to rotate between yogurt, applesauce, cheese, fruit, and some sort of muffin/bar recipe so he doesn’t have the same thing for snack everyday. The muffin/bar option is one of my favorites because so many recipes–including this one–can be made ahead and frozen so he doesn’t have a week’s worth of the same thing. I know he’s only two, but even so I don’t want him to get bored with the same snacks. And maybe BECAUSE he’s two, I don’t want him to get into a food rut. 🙂 So many store-bought breakfast/granola bars are made with nuts or nut butter, which is a no-go for school… so these are absolutely perfect!

These simple freezer-friendly banana breakfast bars come together in a snap and taste SO good! They're a great breakfast or snack that everyone will love. #FantasticalFoodFight via thepajamachef.com

I hope you give these easy bars a try. Read through the recipe below to see how to make them… and be sure to click over to the original recipe. If you don’t have to make nut-free snacks like I do, you’ll want to try the yummy peanut butter-white chocolate drizzle. I need to give that try sometime! 🙂

P.S. I’m linking these up with the BANANA Fantastical Food Fight this month. Check out more banana recipes here: 

two years ago: Creamy Sweet Potato and Kale Orzo
three years ago: Cantucci (Almond Biscotti)
four years ago: Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
five years ago: Autumnal Muffins
six years ago: Iced Tea with Ginger-Mint Simple Syrup
seven years ago: Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
eight years ago: Spaghetti + Meatballs

Banana Breakfast Bars

  • Servings: 12 bars
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slightly adapted from Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium bananas, very ripe
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add oil, egg, and vanilla, then whisk until egg is beaten in and everything is combined. Add in oats and flour, then stir to combine. Sprinkle in brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan, then bake for 18-22 minutes until edges are golden brown and center is cooked through.

Cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze (in bags for easy lunch packing, if desired) for up to a month.

The original recipe has a yummy peanut butter-white chocolate drizzle on top if you want to try that! I needed to keep these nut-free for my son’s school, but that would be a fun addition. Enjoy!

Easy banana berry oat muffins, sweetened with honey, are a great breakfast or snack. Little ones love these and so do big people too! #fantasticalfoodfight #honey #healthy #toddlerrecipes
Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Honey Sweetened Banana Berry Oat Muffins

Sarah

Easy banana berry oat muffins, sweetened with honey, are a great breakfast or snack. Little ones love these and so do big people too!

Easy banana berry oat muffins, sweetened with honey, are a great breakfast or snack. Little ones love these and so do big people too! #fantasticalfoodfight #honey #healthy #toddlerrecipes

When my son turned one, I celebrated. Obviously partially because we survived the first year… but also because fiiiinally he could have honey! I love honey! Whether I’m adding a bit to my bowl of oatmeal in the morning, or baking with it… I love it! It feels healthier than regular ‘ole white sugar, and it has a distinct and delicious taste. Even though honey isn’t technically “healthier,” it does have some advantages over sugar, especially in terms of a sweeter taste (so you can use less), antioxidants, and the like… If you can find local, raw honey, it’s even better!

Easy banana berry oat muffins, sweetened with honey, are a great breakfast or snack. Little ones love these and so do big people too! #fantasticalfoodfight #honey #healthy #toddlerrecipes

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you may know that I LOVE muffins. I haven’t baked muffins as often in the past year because I haven’t had as much free time (babies take time, did ya know?), but lately I’ve been getting back into my baking ways. My son is only sixteen months old but he eats SO. MUCH. FOOD. He’s always hanging on my leg begging for “mum” (yum), and it’s fun to make homemade treats for him to enjoy.

These muffins have been part of my son’s breakfast and snack rotation for a solid three months. I’ve made several batches and he just doesn’t tire of them! Since they’re healthy–packed full of oats, banana, and berries–I honestly really don’t mind. I usually pack one up for breakfast at daycare each morning. Really, I should say second breakfast, since the little guy nurses and eats some of my breakfast most mornings as well. Ha. Growing boys need to eat, I suppose. But it’s great to have a healthy, go-to, sure to please breakfast option that I can pull from the freezer to send to daycare. It makes drop-off smoother if I can distract him with food. #truth

Recently when I made a batch of these muffins, I took the time to take photos BEFORE I froze them all so I could share the recipe with you! Whether you want to make these muffins for your kiddos or just for you, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. They really are very lightly sweetened but I love that… you can taste everything in these muffins, not just a bunch of sugar. Bananas, berries, nutty oats, and honey… it’s all there, it’s all good (and good FOR you)! Hope you enjoy!

Easy banana berry oat muffins, sweetened with honey, are a great breakfast or snack. Little ones love these and so do big people too! #fantasticalfoodfight #honey #healthy #toddlerrecipes

Looking for more recipes with honey? Well, you’re in the right place–honey is the theme of today’s Fantastical Food Fight so check out the link below for more honey recipes. 🙂

one year ago: Creamy Pesto Pasta with Broccoli and Chicken
two years ago: Red Cabbage, Raisin, and Apple Slaw
three years ago: Healthy Crumb Topped Zucchini Bread
four years ago: Pumpkin Coconut Soup
five years ago: Chocolate Mousse 
six years ago: Pumpkin Granola
seven years ago: Pizza Sauce

Honey Sweetened Banana Berry Oat Muffins

  • Servings: 12
  • Print

from Bowl of Delicious

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (I’ve also used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup all purpose flour, and the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour… so you have options!)
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries (or other berries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners, or grease well.

In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil, honey, yogurt, and vanilla until well combined. Fold in mashed banana.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and gently mix together. Do not overmix! Fold in blueberries.

Divide batter between muffin wells, then bake for 18-25 minutes or until just golden brown on the top. Mine are usually done in about 19-20 minutes. After cooling for a few minutes in the tin, invert on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes:

Original recipe can be prepared using a stand mixer as well.

I make these muffins using silicone liners and they usually make about 24, instead of the 12 this recipe says it yields. I think they’re a bit smaller though.

Store in an airtight container or ziptop bag on the counter for up to 3 days. These muffins freeze beautifully too.

Breads, Breakfast, Recipes

Butterscotch Banana Bread

Sarah

Sweet spiced banana bread with butterscotch chips! A fun new twist on everyone’s favorite “use up the bananas on the counter” recipe. 🙂

Sweet spiced banana bread with butterscotch chips! A fun new twist on everyone's favorite "use up the bananas on the counter" recipe. :)

Another Mom recipe! This time, for Butterscotch Banana Bread. In May 2003, when this recipe was first made, it was “very good.” And I was about to graduate from high school. #old

Sweet spiced banana bread with butterscotch chips! A fun new twist on everyone's favorite "use up the bananas on the counter" recipe. :)

I have no memory of the original baking of this banana bread, but I do know I’ve made it several times over the last nine years since Ben and I started dating, were engaged, and have been married. Ben looooves butterscotch flavored things, so I’m always looking for the next butterscotch treat to surprise him with! 🙂 In this banana bread, the caramel-y flavor of the butterscotch chips pairs perfectly with the classically spiced banana bread. What a great match! But let’s be real… is there ANYTHING that doesn’t mix in well with banana bread? Pretty much… no. 🙂 Enjoy!

one year ago: S’mores Bundt Cake
two years ago: Freezer Breakfast Burritos
three years ago: Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
four years ago: Applesauce Muffins
five years ago: Black Bean Soup Like You Mean It
six years ago: Black Bean & Corn Quinoa Salad

Butterscotch Banana Bread

  • Servings: 12
  • Print

from my mom 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup ripe mashed bananas – about 2-3 bananas
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 6 ounces butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch bread pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, mix  bananas and sugar together. Add egg and butter, stirring until smooth. Alternate folding in flour mixture with milk, stirring until just combined. Stir in butterscotch chips, then transfer to prepared pan.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Cakes, Desserts, Recipes

Banana Espresso Chocolate Crumb Cake for #Choctoberfest

Sarah

This Banana Espresso Chocolate Crumb Cake is just the thing if you want a quick dessert with plenty of delicious fruit and chocolate flavor. The crumb topping makes it extra special!

This Banana Espresso Chocolate Crumb Cake is just the thing if you want a quick dessert with plenty of delicious fruit and chocolate flavor. The crumb topping makes it extra special! #Choctoberfest

I think we need a little dessert around here, don’t you? Most of what I been up to in the kitchen [and sharing on the blog, when I have had the chance] this summer has been savory… dinner, mostly, just to keep us fed amidst the newborn days. But lately I’ve had the urge to bake! I think pregnancy made me into more of a chocoholic than I have ever been before, but I still love me some fruity desserts too. 🙂 The best desserts are those that combine fruit and chocolate into one lovely package… like this banana cake that’s studded with chocolate chips and laced with a little bit of espresso flava! It is absolute PERFECT for Chocotoberfest!

Psssst…. don’t forget to enter the giveaway here. 🙂

This Banana Espresso Chocolate Crumb Cake is just the thing if you want a quick dessert with plenty of delicious fruit and chocolate flavor. The crumb topping makes it extra special! #Choctoberfest

I think that we can all agree that sometimes we buy extra bananas just to have them on hand for baking. Or is that just me? Haha. Anyways, this banana cake is a fabulous way to use up extra bananas languishing on your counter or popped in the freezer. It is a banana cake for people who like bananas–the flavor is definitely present, but if you aren’t the biggest banana fan on earth, don’t worry, as it is also tempered by the rich chocolate and coffee flavors too. There’s something in this cake for everyone! I would be remiss if I didn’t emphasize how perfect the sugary/spicy/salty crumb topping on this cake is also. Don’t omit the salt! It definitely adds a hint of something special to this cake… enjoy!

This Banana Espresso Chocolate Crumb Cake is just the thing if you want a quick dessert with plenty of delicious fruit and chocolate flavor. The crumb topping makes it extra special! #Choctoberfest
two years ago: Asian Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice
three years ago: Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheese
four years ago: No Bake Tropical Energy Bites
five years ago: Garlicky Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
six years ago: Pillow Cookies

Banana Espresso Crumb Cake

  • Servings: 12
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from The Sweets Life

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 mashed ripe bananas, approximately 1 1/2 cups
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup [1 stick] unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1/4 cup half and half
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour [can use 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour & 3/4 cup all-purpose flour if you wish]
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee [or 1 1/2 packets of Starbucks Via or other packaged instant coffee]
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

for crumb topping

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon coarse salt [I used Kosher salt–use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon depending on how salty you like things]
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8×8 or 9×9 square pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together bananas, sugar, butter, half and half, and egg. In a larger bowl, whisk together flour, instant coffee, and baking soda. Fold wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until just moistened. Gently stir in chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

In another bowl, make the crumb topping by mixing together flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over dry ingredients, then toss with a fork gently until crumbs form. For larger crumbs, toss less. Sprinkle evenly over cake batter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and top is golden brown. Do not overbake–sometimes it can be hard to tell with banana baked goods whether they are done or not, so if you are in doubt, take it out and let it cool a little bit and check it a few more times.

For clean slices, cool before cutting. Slices of this cake reheat well in the microwave!

Check out other chocolate recipes of the day for Choctoberfest at the link below!

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

SRC: Honey Banana Muffins

Sarah

Lightly sweetened banana muffins… these muffins are a simple, wholesome treat you will want to make again and again! If you love the taste of honey in baked goods, these muffins are for you!

Lightly sweetened banana muffins... these muffins are a simple, wholesome treat you will want to make again and again! If you love the taste of honey in baked goods, these muffins are for you! via thepajamachef.com #secretrecipeclub

Happy Secret Recipe Club Monday! I’m comin’ atcha from April, because who knows when this baby is going to come! Or if he has already, or if he is coming now, or what. 🙂 But I wanted to make sure I got my recipe in this month so here ya go, friends! This month for SRC, I was assigned to Rafeeda’s lovely blog, The Big Sweet Tooth. Rafeeda has so many amazing Indian recipes on her blog that she makes for her family [a husband and two kiddos]!

It almost seemed a shame to make something as basic as muffins, but it seems like Rafeeda likes banana treats quite a bit because I counted a good 8 or 9 banana muffins/breads/loaf cakes on her blog. I love banana-based muffins a lot so it sounded like a good idea, especially during a busy time in life. But I definitely have bookmarked some other recipes like Varutharacha Urulakizhangu Curry – Potato Curry in Roasted Coconut Masala,Koshari – Lentils and Rice with Tomato Sauce, Channa Masala – Chickpeas Curry in Coconut Milk, and Dark Chocolate Orange Cake with Orange Glaze to try later. Mmm!

But in the meantime, I’m not complaining about making these honey banana muffins. They are SO good! They’re super light and simple, but so flavorful. As I was baking them, I realized there wasn’t any real fat in the recipe – no butter, oil, or eggs… just banana, baking soda, and baking powder for leavening and brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey for flavor [plus bananas! duh!]. I used white whole wheat flour as the base, but you could use all-purpose or even whole wheat flour if you prefer.

Lightly sweetened banana muffins... these muffins are a simple, wholesome treat you will want to make again and again! If you love the taste of honey in baked goods, these muffins are for you! via thepajamachef.com #secretrecipeclub

The original recipe didn’t call for any mix-ins but I wanted to spice up a few, so I added some cinnamon chips to some and some mini chocolate chips to others. You can add anything you want, or nothing at all… they are great either way! You could also make these muffins as bread, but as you know, we prefer muffins over quick bread so I hope Rafeeda doesn’t mind the liberties I’ve taken with her recipe. 🙂 I think this is one I’ll be coming back to over the summer as the baking urge strikes when I’m busy with the baby! These muffins are healthy, easy, and delicious. What more do you need? Thanks, Rafeeda! Enjoy, everyone!

one year ago: Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes
two years ago: Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
three years ago: Club Soda Waffles
four years ago: Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette 
five years ago: Salsas for Cinco de Mayo

Honey Banana Muffins

  • Servings: 18
  • Print

from The Big Sweet Tooth

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups white whole wheat flour [or all-purpose flour]
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup bananas, mashed – about 3 large bananas
  • any desired mix-ins: chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, coconut, granola, etc.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease well.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together honey and milk. Add mashed bananas and stir until combined. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ones, and fold together until just incorporated.

Divide batter between muffin cups, then add mix-ins to individual muffins as desired.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before storing in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3 days. After that, freeze for best results.

Note:

Original recipe was for honey banana bread–use a large loaf pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes.

Please check out other SRC recipes at the link below: