Delicious Vegan Banana Bread

Long time no talk! You may have noticed a lack of recipe postings from me lately, but don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about my blog! I’ve been incognito for a two main  reasons: 1) I’ve been applying to colleges and recently got accepted to my first choice (YAY!!!!!!) AND 2) I’ve been experimenting on and off with adopting a vegan diet. I must say that a vegan lifestyle brings many health and energy benefits, but it does not supply a wide array of dessert options. Without butter and eggs, recipes are limited and the few vegan baking attempts of mine have not yielded great results…that is, until I found this amazing vegan banana bread recipe.

Baked Banana Bread Pudding (Skinny)

Today, I had to take a round of SAT Subject tests.  While it’s not the ideal way to start off the weekend, it is an excuse to eat an extraordinarily delicious breakfast!  So, I combined some of my favorite things–banana and french toast–for this AH-MAZING baked banana bread pudding.

Cinnamon Sugar Mandel Bread (Almond Biscotti)

In celebration of Jewish New Year this month, I went back to the basics to make traditional cinnamon sugar mandel bread (aka mandelbrot).  Every year, I would eagerly wait for my cousin in Chicago to send them to us in the mail, reserving a whole bag just for myself! A few years later, I tried baking these cookies myself, and I realized how similar they are to an Italian biscotti in flavor, texture, and recipe. So, if you liked my previous Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti or Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti posts, this is the recipe for you!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

Introducing my next “healthy” recipe adventure: a delicious chocolate chip zucchini cake, courtesy of my absolute favorite chef in the world, Paula Deen! While this recipe may not exactly be up to paleo diet standards, at least it features multiple cups of a green vegetable–pretty healthy for a traditional Paula dish. This cake reminds me of a banana bread coffee cake hybrid, a combination of my two favorites desserts! 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

I have a bit of an obsession when it comes to bananas..and once they start to turn banana-bread-ready brown, I absolutely cannot stop myself from using them in a baked good. My usual go-to recipe is Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, but even my friends have become a little tired of my usual fix! So, as an alternative I decided to search for a banana cookie recipe (which is surprisingly hard to find), and after pages of Foodgawker research, I eventually came across these delicious looking chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookies.

Banana Crumb Muffins

If I’m talking about “a few of my favorite things”, I certainly cannot forget my fix of banana bread desserts! I’ve mentioned before that my favorite type of sweets are muffins and coffee cakes; they are always the tasters I take the most of at Trader Joe’s! Unfortunately this week marked the end of winter break, so I decided to bake some banana muffins for advisory to help ease back into the school routine.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

My quotation of the season: “Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” ~Jim Davis

Thus, I present one of my favorite fall time desserts, pumpkin bread…with tons of chocolate chips! Just as some people count the days until fall when they can sip gingerbread and pumpkin spice lattes, I long for autumn treats with sugar, spice and everything nice! Nothing reminds me more of turning leaves and pumpkin patches than yummy pumpkin bread baking in the oven. As I love all things coffee cake and breakfast cake-like, pumpkin bread has always been a favorite of mine! This cake is so moist and delicious, it literally melts in your mouth. Just on its own, the cake is so amazing, adding chocolate chips takes this fantastic cake to the next level! You will love this fall staple! Enjoy!!!

Recipe: Perfect Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

***NOTE: Sometimes being a purist pays off. I think I might like this pumpkin bread even better without the chocolate chips! Hard to believe, but sans-chocolate, this dessert becomes more like a pumpkin loaf/coffee cake (my favorite type of cake!).

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

It might just be my Polish blood, but my all-time favorite baked treats are streusel/coffee cake desserts! There’s something SO delicious about a scrumptious slice of cinnamon pound cake in the morning; it’s the most fabulous breakfast to start off the day!  Although I prefer tea with my piece, this coffee cake loaf is so irresistibly moist and yummy!! My dad especially loves this nostalgic, tasty dessert because it was his dad’s specialty from Europe! Enjoy!!! It’s delicious!

Recipe: Cinnamon Loaf

***NOTE: To add a layer of streusel crumble on top, simply sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar, and a little flour on the loaf before baking.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I. LOVE. Banana. Bread.

…Especially with chocolate chips! I’ve been baking for my summer school class in order to get through 4 hour lectures on physics every day– brownies, cookies, madeleines, etc… (I’ve been taking requests!). While I was talking to a friend during one of our breaks, she mentioned that banana bread is one of her favorite treats, and it just so happened that I had some overly-ripe bananas sitting in my kitchen at home! It was fate: the universe just wanted me to make this delicious banana bread! Even you banana-haters, I promise you will love it. It’s a moist and buttery loaf of sweet magnificence– the best banana bread you will ever eat!!! Grab a slice and nosh; but be warned: you might find yourself finishing the entire loaf! Enjoy!!

Recipe: Banana Bread

***NOTE: You can choose to add walnuts to the banana bread, but I prefer not to. Also try making this recipe as muffins or a cake. For a healthier version, cut the sugar in half and substitute some of the butter for apple sauce.  It’s still delicious!!

Baked Banana Bread Oatmeal (Healthy!)

Here’s another one of Chocolate Covered Katie‘s scrumptious (and healthy!) recipes: banana bread baked oatmeal, or “boatmeal” as she calls it. I found Katie’s blog over the summer and made about all of her recipes! She actually inspired me to try baking healthy desserts, but I have to admit that they just don’t taste the same! But, this oatmeal tastes so delicious, that you’ll never tell it’s actually healthy, especially by adding chocolate chips, it really tastes like my mom’s famous chocolate chip banana bread!