Banana bread has become one of the most tried and tested treats people have been baking amid the coronavirus crisis. From vegan versions to hidden chocolate chips and even one using Meghan Markle's secret ingredients, you may be thinking there are only so many ways you can reinvent the classic recipe. Well, you'd be wrong.
BISH BASH BOSH! by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby, £9.99, Amazon
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If you're looking for a decadent twist on the traditional banana bread then these blondies are the ultimate treat - yes, you read that correctly, it's two delicious desserts rolled into one. And with not one but two bank holiday weekends this month, we can't think of a better time to get creative in the kitchen. Keep scrolling to see how to make the blondies...
READ: The ultimate supermarket shopping list for your lockdown essentials
Banana bread blondies from BISH BASH BOSH! by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby (HQ, HarperCollins). Image credit: Lizzie Mayson
Banana bread blondies:
INGREDIENTS (makes 12)
- 125g almonds
- 4 bananas – 2 ripe (250g peeled weight) and 2 firm
- 150g peanut butter
- 6 tbsp (135g) maple syrup
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 90ml unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 250g plain flour
- 80g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 125g dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 20 x 30cm baking tin with parchment paper.
- Spread the almonds out over the baking tray, put the tray in the oven and bake the almonds for 8–10 minutes, until deeply golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Put the ripe bananas in a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork. Add 100g of the peanut butter, the maple syrup, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract and stir until well combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Pour the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt into a separate mixing bowl and combine with a fork. Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold everything together to combine and form a smooth batter.
- Break the roasted almonds into small chunks using a pestle and mortar, food processor or the end of a rolling pin. Cut the chocolate into 5mm pieces. Add 100g of the broken almonds and 100g of the chocolate chunks to the bowl and fold them into the batter. Transfer to the baking tin and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Add the remaining peanut butter and almonds to the top of the cake. Peel the firm bananas, cut them in half lengthways and gently press the slices into the top of the cake, seed side up. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bananas. Put the tin in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- Melt the remaining chocolate. Boil a kettle and pour enough water into a small pan until it’s 2cm deep. Place a heatproof bowl over the pan and bring it to the boil, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Reduce to a simmer then break the remaining chocolate into the bowl and leave to melt (alternatively, melt in the microwave in 15-second bursts). Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cake.
- Cut into 12 pieces and serve.
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MORE: These 7 tips will transform your lockdown baking – and they're so easy
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