Ingredients

The following ingredients have 10 Servings
  • vegetable cooking spray (for coating baking pan)
  • 5 medium bananas (very ripe and peeled)
  • ¾ cup walnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped, divided)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instruction

  • Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Spray loaf pan with vegetable cooking spray.
  • Place 5 peeled bananas in a medium-sized bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 4 minutes, until the bananas are soft and have released liquid from the fruit. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and allow to drain, occasionally stirring for 10 minutes. There will be about ½ to ¾ cup liquid retained in the bowl.
  • Toast walnuts in a medium-sized pan over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until fragrant, crunchy and lightly toasted. Roughly chop ½ cup. Chop ¼ cup into finer pieces for topping on bread.
  • Transfer drained liquid to a medium saute pan and cook over medium-high heat, until reduced to ⅛ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into the cooked bananas, and mash until mostly smooth. Whisk in applesauce, coconut oil, eggs, honey, and vanilla.
  • Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
  • Pour banana mixture into dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined, with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in ½ cup chopped walnuts. Sprinkle ¼ cup chopped walnuts evenly over the loaf.
  • Place banana bread pan on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let bread cool inside the pan for 10 minutes, then place it on a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.