This bread is bananas – B A N A N A S!!
The Fruitaholic could live off of bananas alone. Seriously, this kid was eating whole bananas at 18 months old. Therefore, we always have the fruit bowl stocked full.
But even so, we don’t always get to all of them in time, and everyone knows that the best use for brown bananas is making banana bread!! That being said, everyone has their own recipe for “The Best Banana Bread Ever.” I knew I wanted something different, something that was a little bit on the healthy side so that I wouldn’t feel too guilty eating a slice (or two) for breakfast and a slice (or two) for dessert. So I sifted through a ton of recipes online until I found “the One” – a low fat oatmeal banana bread adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe.
I loved the addition of oatmeal since it’s such a power food with the ability of helping you to stay fuller longer. I also added some sliced almonds and caramel bits to the batter, keeping it still relatively healthy yet adding just a touch of sweetness and crunch. It was most excellent fresh out of the oven, yet still great this morning heated up for a few seconds in the microwave and savored with a cup of green tea.
The only thing I would change? A friend and I made this together and I sent her home with half of the loaf, leaving less for me to devour! But I know for sure what I’ll be making next time we don’t finish our banana bunch in time.
Caramel Almond Oatmeal Banana Bread – slightly adapted from Joy the Baker
- 1 1/4 Cup Flour
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 Cup Oatmeal, uncooked
- 1/2 Cup Caramel Bits (or chopped caramel)
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds, plus 1/4 Cup for topping
- 3-4 Bananas, very ripe
- 3 tsp. Canola Oil
- 1 Egg
- 2 Egg Whites
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, oats, caramel and 1/2 cup almonds.
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, then add the oil and whole egg. Mix thoroughly. Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer with the wire whisk attached (or a medium bowl, using an electric mixer) and whip the eggs on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Add one-third of the batter to the bowl with the egg whites. Mix gently, then repeat until all batter has been incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with 1/4 cup sliced almonds. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top of the bread is golden brown. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then run a knife around the sides to loosen the edges and turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool an additional 10 minutes before serving.
