high protein banana bread (no protein powder)

• servings: 10 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

⅓ cup unsalted butter (or salted — omit added salt if using)

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

⅓ cup almond flour

⅓ cup ground flaxseed

1¼ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt (skip if using salted butter)

¼ tsp cardamom

¼ tsp ground ginger

2 medium-large very ripe bananas (279g) peeled)

1⅔ cups cottage cheese (any fat level)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (increase to 1/3 cup if bananas aren't very over ripe)

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

Zest from 1 orange

½ cup dark chocolate chips

¼ cup turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)

¼ tsp cardamom

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 8.5" x 4.5" light-colored metal loaf pan with parchment paper or butter and lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking.

Make the brown butter: add the ⅓ cup unsalted butter to a light-colored skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the foam subsides and small golden-brown specks appear on the bottom, pour immediately into the mixing bowl mentioned below.While the brown butter cooks, mash the 2 medium-large very ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl. It's ok if the butter is hot.Blend together the 1⅔ cups cottage cheese, 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, and Zest from 1 orange. Combine this with your bananas and browned butter.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup almond flour, ⅓ cup ground flaxseed, 1¼ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp salt, ¼ tsp cardamom, and ¼ tsp ground ginger. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold gently until just combined. The batter will be thick. A few small streaks of flour are fine — stop mixing before the batter looks uniform. Then fold in the ½ cup dark chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If using the turbinado topping (which you should!!), mix the ¼ cup turbinado sugar and ¼ tsp cardamom together and sprinkle evenly over the batter. If skipping the topping, have foil nearby to tent the loaf toward the end.

Bake on the middle or lower rack for 65-70 minutes. Starting around 45 minutes, if the top is browning quickly (because you didn't top with the sugar), tent loosely with foil. The bread is done when the center springs back when gently pressed. If a toothpick comes out with wet batter (not just a melted chocolate streak), give it 5 more minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. The interior continues to set as it cools!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 320 kcal
• Total Fat: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 61 mg
• Sodium: 189 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 40 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 22 g
• Protein: 10 g