I was going to title these babies “Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Buckwheat Flax Banana Bread Brownies” but I thought that might be a bit too long for a title. But seriously, I wanted everyone to understand just how much is going on in these little squares. A whole lot of flavor and a whole lot of healthy goodness.
I’ve never made banana anything before, and I’m obviously not the most experienced baker, but when I saw we had a bunch of bananas leftover from the weekend that were going bad, banana bread was the first thing that came to mind.
Of course, I did not want a huge loaf of sugary, floury baked goods sitting around the apartment taunting me and my waistline so I knew I had to HRx the classic banana bread. And that’s what I did. Honestly, I didn’t even think. I just started throwing things in a bowl and mixing. I was sure it was all going to go horribly wrong. I mean, it had to. You can’t just wing it with baking. But it didn’t turn out wrong. It turned out good. So good that I ate three brownie squares right out of the oven. So good that I’m eating two more right now as I type this. So good that I’m going to have to bring the rest to work tomorrow so I don’t eat the whole batch. Or not…I don’t really want to share…
Seriously. I didn’t think it was possible for something to taste simultaneously healthy and delicious. All in one bite I get the nutty buckwheat and flax taste, the banana and apple flavoring, and then a surprise hit of gooey delicious melted dark chocolate.
Healthy Recipe Ecstasy? Classic banana bread generally has 2 cups of white flour, 1 cup of sugar and some sort of dairy (milk or yogurt). What does my banana bread have? NONE OF THAT! I used buckwheat and flax flour instead of white flour because buckwheat and flax are gluten-free. I used unsweetened applesauce instead of sugar and I left out most of the dairy (except for a small amount of butter). Really, these are practically dairy-free. All the sweetness comes from the fruit alone which means this is a much more savory banana bread recipe than most people are used to, but as a savory addict, that’s what I prefer. Plus these babies are chock full of fiber. Who needs boring cereal in the morning when you can get your fiber from chocolate-y banana bread squares??
Note – make sure that your buckwheat flour isn’t mixed with wheat flour or gluten if you have a serious gluten sensitivity. Also, I didn’t have a loaf pan so I baked these in square and rectangular baking pans like brownies – hence the squares rather than big slices of bread. Better for portion control!
Now just look at that gooey chocolate. Look at it! I’m off to eat more banana bread brownies…
- 1 and 1/4 cup [url href=”http://amzn.to/1n25ZTP”]buckwheat flour[/url]
- 3/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3.5 ounces gluten-free dark chocolate (I’ve used Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and 70% dark chocolate – both were amazing – but feel free to use your favorite dark chocolate)
- Preheat oven to 350°. Get your old bananas out and mash them.
- Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the buckwheat and flax flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
- Place applesauce and butter in a large bowl, and mix by hand (my preference) or beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing/beating well after each addition. Add banana and vanilla; mix/beat until blended. Add flour mixture; mix/beat at low speed just until moist.
- Cut the dark chocolate into little pieces and gently mix the pieces into the batter.
- Spoon batter into a baking pan coated with cooking spray. Use a 9 x 12 rectangular pan for thin brownie squares or an 8 x 8 pan for thicker brownie squares. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. The thicker brownies in the 8 x 8 pan need a few extra minutes.
- You should cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan….but they’re just too good to wait! Look at that gooey melted chocolate! Who can resist that? Certainly not me…
says applesauce in ingredients but not on the recipe?
Oh my gosh – you are absolutely right! Thanks for pointing that out! I think I was distracted by the melted chocolate while I was writing this! I’ve updated the post so it’s correct.
Thanks Michelle this recipe came at the prefect time for me I had 4 bananas that were getting a little spotty. I don’t have any gluten issues so I used 1 3/4 wheat flour and a 1/4 white flour. The bread turned out to be fluffy and wonderful!
Yeah! I’m so glad that you made the recipe and it turned out well. I will try it with wheat and white flour as well.
Jess brought over some of this bread, it was fab :). Thanks for posting Michelle!
Aww! I love that! Too bad Elsie can’t have any yet…!
Does it have to be buckwheat flour? OR ca I substitute that with another flour, like wheat?
Thanks for stopping by! You can absolutely substitute another flour. I used buckwheat because its a gluten free flour and it gives the brownies a nutty flavor. However, if you dont have a gluten issue, you can use wheat or regular all purpose flour.
can i use coconut flour instead? thanks 🙂
I don’t see why not! Though I’ve read that you don’t need as much coconut flour as you do wheat flour when baking. There are some tips on this website: http://nourishedkitchen.com/baking-with-coconut-flour/. Let me know if it works out!
Absolutely amazing!!! My fiance and I loved this recipe. Wouldn’t change a thing.
That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for the comment and thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Do you use sweetened dark chocolate or can you use unsweetened baking chocolate? thanks!
Hi Mary – just realized I never responded. I used 70 percent chocolate from Lindt. You can try the unsweetened but it might give the brownies a bitter flavor.
I just made these, and my oh my are they delicious!!! The whole family raved about them 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for the note! I actually just made a revised version of this banana bread in mini form that’s even more delicious! I will post that soon.
I have some avocados and bananas and was doing some research to combine banana bread and avocado-based brownies when I came across this. Have you thought of replacing the butter with avocado and mixing cocoa powder in with the flour?
Hi Chris – thanks for the comment! I’ve heard of using avocado when baking but I haven’t tried it yet. I’ve always been a little wary of heating avocado, but I do need to give it a go. If you try it out, please let me know how it is!
I made these today because I have been craving brownies with ice cream for a few weeks now. I have gotten rid of about 80 lbs and do not ever want to go back there. I have cut out most process foods and rarely eat anything with sugar. I must say these took care of my cravings and there healthy no sugar or oil added. I did have 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream with it. I used 1 1/4 cups whole flour and 3/4 cups all purpose because that’s what I had on hand. Mine were a lot lighter color I’m guessing because I didn’t use buckwheat flour or flaxseed. Thank you so much for posting this healthy recipe. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Hi Cindy! Thanks for the comment and congratulations on your weight loss. That’s awesome! Yes, the buckwheat flour is very dark so it makes the brownies darker than if you use regular wheat flour. I actually just made a revised version of these brownies – I added a little bit of all-purpose flour and another banana and baked them into mini muffins. I have to say that this new version is even better!!
Just recently went gluten-free and dairy-free, and came across this recipe on Pinterest. I substituted in Ener-g egg replacer, and used Earth Balance soy-free butter, but all other ingredients were the same as you list here. WOW it is super tasty! Even my husband was impressed. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks so much Sara! I’m so happy you found the recipe and liked it. 🙂 🙂