Spiced Banana Bread – Weight Watchers friendly

I always joke that “baking is my love language”. Sharing baked goods with friends is an easy way for me to communicate how much I appreciate them. Unfortunately, sharing sugar-laden desserts isn’t always very loving…mainly when your friends are trying to make healthier choices and watching their smart points.

Enter this banana bread. While yes, it’s a great way to use up bananas you forgot to eat, it also is a light breakfast treat you can share with friends who are watching their calorie or fat intake. I’ve included summarized nutrition information and Weight Watchers smart point values in the notes portion of the recipe, so that it can be easily tracked in your system of choice. (Note that the nutrition information was calculated using this website, and the WW points were calculated here. I’m not a WW member, so I don’t have access to their “official” recipe tracker, and the points may be slightly off.)

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and mashing 3 bananas to a pulp. Ideally, you should use bananas that are extra-ripe (read: brown and unpalatable), as bananas get sweeter as they ripen. Some people throw old bananas in their freezer for this exact purpose. If your freezer banana supply is currently depleted, your local grocery store probably sells the over-ripe bananas for a steal.

Once your bananas have been mashed, stir in the applesauce. Normally you would use butter or oil here; by using applesauce, you provide structure without the additional fat. Next, mix in the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition. Then mix in the brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine your remaining ingredients. Make sure the baking powder and baking soda are well-distributed as they will provide much of the leavening for this bread.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. Be careful not to over-mix…but also make sure you get all of the clumps of flour. It’s a fine balance, but I’m confident in your abilities.

Line a 9″ by 5″ loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the sides that are not covered. Allow 2 (ish) inches of parchment to hang over the 9″ sides of your loaf pan; this will make it easier to remove your finished bread.

Pour your batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the middle rack of your oven for 55-65 minutes. The bread is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Keep a close eye on your loaf; if it is starting to brown excessively, make a tent out of aluminum foil and cover the surface. (I did this around 40 minutes of bake time.)

Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Using a serrated knife, slice the loaf and serve. Note that the below nutrition calculations are for 12 slices; you’ll have to do a bit of math if your slices are larger or smaller!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it at home, please tag @WhiskAverseBaking on social media, or leave a message in the comments below.

Spiced Banana Bread – Weight Watchers Friendly

A lighter version of the classic quick bread – with only 5 WW smart points per slice.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Cooling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices

Equipment

• 9" x 5" loaf pan

Ingredients

  

• 3 ripe bananas mashed
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Mash bananas to a puree; mix in applesauce. Beat in eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Stir in brown sugar.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly fold them into the banana mixture. Mix until just combined and transfer to a parchment-lined loaf pan
• Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If top is browning excessively during baking, cover the top of the loaf with a small tent of aluminum foil.
• Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

When cut into 12 slices, each slice provides:
141 calories
Total fat: 1.1g
Saturated fat: 0.3g
Total sugar: 10.7g
Protein: 3.4g
Fiber: 1.6g
5 Weight Watchers smart points

Keyword banana, banana bread, diet, lite, low calorie, Weight Watchers, WW