Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Bread
Photo Credit: Rachel Connners

Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Bread

This bread is laced with homemade chocolate hazelnut butter and lots of ripe bananas to keep it soft and flavorful, then topped with chocolate and hazelnuts for texture—it makes the perfect breakfast or dessert.

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Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Bread

Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Bread

This bread is laced with homemade chocolate hazelnut butter and lots of ripe bananas to keep it soft and flavorful, then topped with chocolate and hazelnuts for texture—it makes the perfect breakfast or dessert.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 minute
Course: Breakfast
Keyword: banana bread, chocolate, dairy free, hazelnut
Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (3 or 4 small or medium bananas)
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or other dairy-free milk
  • 1/4 cup Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
  • 1/4 cup refined coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 1 cup hazelnut flour
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (about ⅔ cup)
  • Small handful chopped hazelnuts, for topping (optional)
  • Small handful chocolate chips, for topping (optional)

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter:

  • 2 cups dry-roasted hazelnuts (see Tip)
  • 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and grease lightly with coconut oil. (You can also use a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan; the finished loaf of banana bread will be a little thinner.)
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, coconut sugar, almond milk, chocolate hazelnut butter, coconut oil, and ground flax seed. Whisk well to combine. The batter should be smooth with only a few small chunks of banana.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the hazelnut flour, oat flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well mixed. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with hazelnuts or chocolate chips, or both, if using.
  • Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick or knife inserted near the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If you’re using a 9 × 5-inch pan, check on the bread after 40 to 45 minutes.
  • Let the bread cool completely in the pan before removing and slicing. Store the bread, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or foil or in a sealed container on the counter, for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months. I like to freeze slices that I can heat in the microwave whenever I want a slice of this bread!

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter:

  • Put the roasted hazelnuts in a high-powered blender (I use a Vitamix) or bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process at medium-high speed for 5 to 8 minutes, scraping down the sides of the container as necessary until smooth and fluid. Your processing time might be shorter if you’re using a high-powered blender, and could take a little longer and require more scraping in the food processor.
  • Once the hazelnuts have broken down completely and formed a smooth, fluid nut butter, add 3 tablespoons of the coconut sugar, the cacao powder, and salt.
  • Process again for another 30 seconds to break down the coconut sugar and make sure everything is well incorporated. Taste and add the extra sugar, if desired. You can also add more salt, to taste.
  • Transfer the nut butter to a 12-ounce glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the pantry for up to 1 week or in the fridge for about 1 month.

Notes

TIP: You can make hazelnut flour yourself by grinding hazelnuts in a blender until finely ground and floury. Bob’s Red Mill also makes it ready to purchase.
If you only have raw hazelnuts, spread them on a baking sheet and roast at 325°F until golden brown around the  edges and aromatic, about 10 minutes. Stir the nuts a few times during roasting. Slide the nuts onto a plate to cool completely; make sure they’re cool before using!
Excerpted from BAKERITA: 100+ No-Fuss Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free Recipes for the Modern Baker© 2020 by Rachel Conners. Photography © 2020 by Rachel Conners. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
HOW-TO VIDEO:
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