Gluten-Free Banana Apple Chocolate Chip Bread

I don’t know about you but when it’s cold out all I want is baked goods.  Banana bread is one of my ultimate favorites. There is really nothing better than a warm piece of homemade banana bread and it's super easy to make. I decided to put a few new spins on my banana bread today – making Gluten-Free Banana Apple Chocolate Chip Bread. My roommate is gluten-free, so I thought I would dabble with GF baking.

I added the apples and chocolate chips for a few reasons:
1. I had heard that GF flour can taste a bit different, so I figured any flavors to mask this wouldn’t hurt
2. I had also heard GF flour could be crumbly and dry – apple and chocolate would both help keep the bread more moist
3. I love apples and chocolate

This bread turned out just as heavenly as it’s gluten counterpart and was just as easy. It was moist with a slight hint of cinnamon, maple, and apple. And lots of chocolate.

What you’ll need:
4 very ripe bananas (the more ripe the better) –should be about 1.5 cups pureed
1 Pink Lady Apple chopped
2 large eggs
3/4 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp PB2 powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups GF flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour)
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
**Nuts or shredded coconut would be great in this recipe, too

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and buttering your pan.

First, mash your bananas and chop your apple.  As a puree, you should have about a cup and a half of mashed bananas.  Out of laziness I put the apple in my food processor for a bit but chopping it into small pieces works perfectly fine. I prefer big apple chunks with skin – All personal preference here.

In bowl #1, combine the bananas and apple with the 2 eggs, coconut oil (softened in the microwave), vanilla, and maple syrup and mix it all together.

In bowl #2, combine the GF flour, brown sugar, baking soda, PB2, cinnamon, and chocolate chips.

Fold the wet ingredients into bowl #2 and stir evenly. Pour the mixture into your pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.

One of my favorite parts about making banana bread is how amazing it makes my entire apartment smell. And also when this beautiful thing comes out of the oven:

It's tough to be patient and let it cool before cutting into it, but try and let it sit for about 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

This bread may be gluten-free, but it can easily pass as the real thing. The perfect winter treat.

After I made my bread I checked out some other banana bread recipes/blogs and stumbled upon this serious gem: Nutella Swirled Banana Bread Recipe. Must make immediately.