Gluten Free Chocolate Coconut Banana Bread

This recipe is free from: gluten, dairy/casein, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, corn.

Ingredients

• 3 medium bananas, very ripe, peeled and mashed
• 3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar (coconut sugar will work, too)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup dairy-free butter substitute, melted (or coconut oil or real butter, if you eat dairy)
• Egg replacer, prepared to equal 2 eggs OR use 2 real eggs, if you prefer (The recipe was developed with Ener-G brand powdered egg replacer, but feel free to use another option from my Egg Alternatives page.)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups Gigi’s Everyday Gluten-Free Flour Blend (Gum-Free) or your favorite all-purpose gum-free gluten-free flour blend
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup unsweetened organic finely grated coconut (I like Let’s Do Organic brand.), omit if you prefer as it will not change the outcome in terms of the bread baking properly
• 1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (If you prefer a plain banana bread, simply omit the cocoa and the step below where it is added; continue on with the recipe as directed.)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan (you can also use an 8×4-inch pan, for a taller loaf, if you prefer.)
3. In a mixing bowl, combine bananas, sugar, applesauce, melted fat, egg replacer and vanilla; stir to blend.
4. In a smaller, separate mixing bowl, combine flour blend, soda, and salt; whisk.
5. Add dry ingredients (NOT cocoa, it is reserved for a later step) to liquid mixture and stir until batter is smooth.
6. Add coconut, if using.
7. Spread half of the batter into prepared pan (the batter is thick, so use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly in your pan.)
8. To the remaining batter in your mixing bowl, add the ? cup cocoa.
9. Stir the batter until all cocoa is incorporated; the batter will be very thick and will take a bit of stirring.
10. Spread the chocolate batter over the banana batter in the prepared pan, again, using the back of a spoon to do so.
11. If you like, use a knife to swirl the batter; otherwise, bake 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
12. Cool 20 minutes in the pan after removing the bread from oven.
13. Remove from pan, cool 10 minutes more, then carefully slice and serve.