High-Protein Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe Has a Secret Healthy Ingredient by Elisa Schmitz

I've been on a banana bread kick lately. A few people in my family are going through some tough times and banana bread offers a dose of comfort. It's been fun to make different banana bread recipes and see which ones everyone likes best.

But eating all that banana bread isn't always the healthiest thing. That's why this high protein banana bread recipe includes secret ingredients to help boost nutrition. After all, what's more comforting than a loaf of fresh-baked banana bread? A loaf of more nutritious banana bread!

The secret ingredients that help boost nutrition are cottage cheese and oat flour. The cottage cheese adds moisture and flavor as well as protein and nutrients. The oat flour provides minerals, fiber, protein and antioxidants. (Read about the health benefits of cottage cheese and the health benefits of oats.)

This moist banana bread recipe includes plenty of overripe bananas plus cottage cheese, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, oats (or oat flour), all-purpose (or gluten-free) flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips. You can add some chopped walnuts, if you like, but those are optional. You use your blender to make the oats into oat flour (or simply buy oat flour) and also to blend the cottage cheese with the bananas and eggs. Next, you mix up the batter then bake it in your loaf pan.

I made my own oat flour by putting old-fashioned rolled oats into a blender and blending for about 20 seconds. Note that 1 cup of oats makes slightly more than 1 cup of oat flour. You only need 1 cup of oat flour, so be sure to measure it out before using. You also can simply buy oat flour. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but to be sure, use gluten-free oats. For the other flour, you can use all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour. I used GF 1:1 flour.

The result is a moist, nutritious and delicious loaf of pure comfort that's equally wonderful for breakfast in the morning, as a snack during the day or even for dessert at night. It's banana bread you can feel good about eating any time at all!

Cuisine: American 
Prep Time: 15 minutes 
Cook Time: 40 to 50 minutes (ovens vary) 
Total Time: 55 to 65 minutes 
Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or oat flour
• 1 cup flour (all-purpose or gluten-free flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 4 medium overripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (divided)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Here's how to make it:

1. If using rolled oats, place them into your blender and blend for about 20 seconds (or until it resembles flour).
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the 1 cup of oat flour, 1 cup of other flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
   
3. To your blender, add the cottage cheese, bananas and eggs.
   
4. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
   
5. Pour the banana mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and sugar. Stir to combine.
   
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until everything is just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Add 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and the walnuts, if using, and stir to combine. (I used milk chocolate chips, but you could use semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips, if preferred.)
   
7. Evenly spread the batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan that's been lined with parchment paper. I filled mine about 3/4 full, then used the rest of the batter to make five small, heart-shaped muffins.
   
8. Evenly spread the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips across the top of the batter.
   
   
9. Bake in the middle rack of an oven that's been preheated to 350 degrees F for between 40 to 50 minutes, depending on your oven. (I checked mine at 35 minutes.) A toothpick should come out mostly clean. (If you find your loaf browning on top too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.)
   
   
10. Allow loaf to cool in the pan. For best results, don't slice the loaf until it is completely cool. Store leftovers in an airtight container. This loaf freezes well, too.
    
    

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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