I’ll admit it, I did really horrible last month avoiding sugar. I jumped off the no-sugar bandwagon and hopped on the train to Cupcakeville! First, there was my dad’s birthday (cupcakes). Then there was our 12 year anniversary (cupcakes). Then I had an amazing idea for a recipe for banana bread. Three loaves later, I think I finally have the recipe down. Introducing my very own Caramel Macchiato Banana Bread! I absolutely love banana bread and have tried a ton of different recipes. I think this one is my favorite so far.
Caramel Macchiato Banana Bread
(This is not a low-FODMAP recipe)
Ingredients
2 – 3 ripe bananas
½ cup liquid caramel-flavored coffee creamer½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Caramel Glaze:
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
6 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9”x5” loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add coffee creamer, oil, eggs, sugar and coffee granules. Mix well.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add dry mixture to the banana mixture and mix until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until it tests done with a toothpick. Allow bread to cool, and then remove from pan.
- To make the caramel glaze, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and vanilla and stir. Bring to a full boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and then simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour over top of bread.
A final note on sugar
So far this month I have done a lot better with sugar. I have a renewed interest is being vigilant about my sugar intake. However, I do realize the benefits of having balance in one’s life. While I appreciate Dr. Mercola’s advice, I just can’t live like him. The man lives on raw eggs and leafy greens. I do like eggs (not raw) and leafy greens, but I love food too much to limit myself to just that. (Plus, I’m getting tired of his alarmists emails: “The Worst Thing You Can Eat!” “The Supplement That Could Save Your Life!” And of course, he always has something to sell you too.) What’s the point of living longer if you don’t enjoy it? At the same time, I do see how important it is to eat less sugar. Our country eats way too much sugar. We are eating almost 4 times as much sugar as we did 100 years ago when obesity rates were less than 5%! I think that sugar is the main cause of obesity, along with a myriad of other diseases. So my advice: Have your cake and eat it too, just not every day! (Pictured below is Flourless Chocolate Cake I from allrecipes.com.)
So far this month I have done a lot better with sugar. I have a renewed interest is being vigilant about my sugar intake. However, I do realize the benefits of having balance in one’s life. While I appreciate Dr. Mercola’s advice, I just can’t live like him. The man lives on raw eggs and leafy greens. I do like eggs (not raw) and leafy greens, but I love food too much to limit myself to just that. (Plus, I’m getting tired of his alarmists emails: “The Worst Thing You Can Eat!” “The Supplement That Could Save Your Life!” And of course, he always has something to sell you too.) What’s the point of living longer if you don’t enjoy it? At the same time, I do see how important it is to eat less sugar. Our country eats way too much sugar. We are eating almost 4 times as much sugar as we did 100 years ago when obesity rates were less than 5%! I think that sugar is the main cause of obesity, along with a myriad of other diseases. So my advice: Have your cake and eat it too, just not every day! (Pictured below is Flourless Chocolate Cake I from allrecipes.com.)
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| Flourless Chocolate Cake I: You can eat this, just not every day! |
