Earlier this month, we decided to cut back on sugar as a family as one of our goals for the New Year and kicked it off with a Sugar Free January. For the most part, we’ve all been really good but one thing we’ve really missed is baked goods and chocolate. Last night I whipped up this Dairy Free Sugar Free Cocoa Coconut Banana Bread for our dessert and it turned out so much better than expected. I just had to share this recipe for anyone else out there trying to cut back on sugar but still looking for a nice treat. It’s especially good with a little butter spread on it as well. The trick to making this Cocoa Coconut Banana Bread so moist and still naturally sweet is that it’s made with SIX bananas. Anytime we have a very ripe banana leftover in the bunch, I peel it and pop it into a large freezer bag where I collect them in the freezer. Then I use them all up in a banana bread. No waste and we get a great treat!
To give it this Cocoa Coconut Banana Bread a little more chocolate flavour, without adding much sugar, I put a few shavings of bittersweet chocolate in the coconut flake topping. With less than 2g of sugar, I felt okay adding that little addition, but this loaf would still be great without it. This recipe is also coincidentally diary free and if you substituted the eggs, you could make it vegan as well.
- 6 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
- optional topping - shaved bittersweet chocolate and extra shredded coconut
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, lightly mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda with a fork.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas until all the large pieces are gone. Add
in coconut oil, eggs and vanilla extract; stir to combine. - Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in shredded coconut if using it.
- Pour batter into a greased loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with shaved chocolate and extra coconut.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a rack to allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, lightly mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda with a fork.
In a large bowl, mash bananas until all the large pieces are gone. Add in coconut oil, eggs and vanilla extract; stir to combine.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in shredded coconut if using it.
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with shaved chocolate and extra coconut.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a rack to allow it to cool completely before slicing.
