Vegan Double Chocolate Coconut Banana Bread

Everyone has bananas that are just past eating at some point right?  I think I say that every time I post some kind of banana bread, but it’s true.  We eat a ton of bananas in our house, quite literally.  At the store I always think I better get one extra bunch to throw in the freezer at the end of the week for smoothies and somehow we still only end up with one or two extra.  I don’t know how it happens. It might be the two monkeys we have for kids, haha.

I do get sick of banana bread though.  My hubby doesn’t like bananas baked into anything so for the kids and I to go through a loaf is a bit much so it usually gets frozen and enjoyed for a little longer.  I wanted to mix things up a little though so I went with a chocolate loaf.  Surprisingly it doesn’t have too much sugar considering how chocolatey it was.  Thank you bananas!

I will tell you, none of this loaf made it to the freezer  🙂

In this loaf I used coconut oil, which I use all the time.  I really love the stuff.  From a purely culinary perspective, think of all the things you can do with an oil that is naturally solid up till 76 degrees.  My favorite of course, is a healthy chocolate magic shell sauce that’s made with your favorite chocolate melted with a little coconut oil.  As soon as you pour it on ice cream it turns into a magic, hard chocolate shell.  Awesome, right?  It’s also delicious for dipping frozen fruit into.  Yummy!  I also love that it’s a healthy fat for cooking, which is something that makes me nervous about other oils.

Tropical Traditions was nice enough to send me a sample to try and review of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil and I have to say I absolutely love it.  If you’ve never tried coconut oil you really should, it’s creamy and coconutty.  You might think you wont like the coconut flavor in everything but you get used to it very quickly, and I even miss it in dishes that don’t normally have a coconut flavor.  I like using it in everything from desserts to roasted veggies and savory dishes.  And besides how much I love coconut oil I have to say I really love how Tropical Traditions produces their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.  If you’re curious why, just watch this quick video.

See you back here tomorrow for a giveaway!

[print_this]Double Chocolate Coconut Banana Bread

• 4 large bananas(2 1/4 C), mashed
• 1/4 C coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 C coconut milk(or another milk, non-dairy for a vegan bread)
• 1/2 C sucanat or brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour from soft wheat
• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 C chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a loaf pan by spraying lightly with oil and set aside.

Mash the bananas and mix with the coconut oil, milk, sugar and vanilla.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and coconut.  Add to the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Place in the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.[/print_this]

Go to the giveaway here.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for a free product.

Tagged as: bananas, bread, chocolate, cocoa, quick bread, recipe, vegan, whole grain, whole wheat