Whether served for breakfast or a snack, this lightened up banana bread with chocolate glaze is sure to please. Wonderfully moist with extra nutrition added and lots of chocolate, it is a recipe you will want to put on repeat.
Banana bread is something I make frequently. I buy bananas practically every time I go to the grocery store. A banana and a spoon full of peanut butter or almond butter is my go-to, no fuss breakfast.
Because I buy them so frequently, there are many times they get to that overripe stage before anyone eats them. Then it’s time to make banana bread. I have tried many recipes over the years and there are a lot of good ones out there.
Most recently I made the one on the cover of the current Cooking Light Magazine. You’ve probably seen it. Doesn’t it look to die for? It’s covered with a fabulous, silky chocolate glaze. It’s a lightened up banana bread made with skim milk, lite sour cream, and egg whites. A hefty dose of mashed bananas (1 2/3 cups) helps keep the bread super moist and filled with wonderful banana flavor.
Lightened Up Banana Bread Recipe
I altered the recipe a little to make it even healthier, subbing out 1 cup of the 2 cups of all-purpose flour for 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup ground flaxseed. I’ve been experimenting adding ground flaxseed to a bunch of different foods. And the results are very good. You can add it to breads, pancakes, waffles, muffins, and smoothies.
Ground Flaxseed
If you buy a bag of ground flaxseed, you will want to use it often because ground flaxseeds (whole flaxseeds will keep longer) are very perishable and will only keep for 3-6 months and they should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
Simple Chocolate Glaze
I also changed the chocolate glaze. I first made the glaze that the Cooking Light recipe calls for by melting 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate with 2 1/2 tablespoons of half and half, but I didn’t like the way it turned out. It was thick and dull looking, nothing like their picture. I spread it on the bread anyways, but then I made a second batch by melting the same amount of chocolate with just 1 tablespoon of shortening and it made a nice, liquidy chocolate glaze with a brilliant shine. So yes, I ended up with a double batch of chocolate on my banana bread.
Use Overripe Bananas
The bananas should be at least as ripe as the bananas in the picture above, preferably riper. Mash them well with a fork and then measure them. You need 1 2/3 cups of mashed banana which is 3 medium to large bananas.
Variations
- Add nuts if you like. Either walnuts or pecans work really well.
- Use 2 cups of all-pupose flour instead of a mixture of all-purpose, whole wheat flour and flaxseed.
How To Store
Can be kept at room temperature for 4 days, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Are you a huge fan of banana bread? You’ll also want to try Triple Chocolate Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread, Funfetti Banana Bread, and Butterscotch Banana Bread .
Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter,, softened
- 1 2/3 cups mashed ripe banana,, about 3 bananas
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1/4 cup lite sour cream
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cooking spray
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate,, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well blended.
- Add banana, milk, sour cream, and egg whites. Mix until blended.
- In a medium bowl whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour mixture and vanilla extract to banana mixture, beating just until blended.
- Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until the top feels firm when pressed on. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For glaze, place chocolate and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted October 6, 2013.
Recipe Source: adapted from Cooking Light
Wow. This looks so tempting, Keep up the good work!
I’ll eat a banana bread any day when it has chocolate glaze on top! 🙂 Genius and delicious.
Me too Anne! I think I’ll eat anything drizzled in chocolate!
You make the best looking desserts! I need this banana bread. I buy bananas constantly and eat tons of them, but there are always a few that get too ripe before I can eat them, so banana bread is a great go-to recipe.
Ahhh I think I just saw this on Foodgawker – either that or I’m crazy! haha. Love it! The glaze is genius.
I saw that bread on the cover of Cooking light! Yours looks great, and I especially love that you made it whole grain. I used to add ground flaxseed to so many things, but I’ve gotten away from it. I need to start up again because I do love it! I née to do this with my next batch of overripe bananas!