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They say that the secret to a good banana bread is using really ripe bananas, but I must say the secret to a GREAT banana bread is the add-ins. Last night, I decided to try out XO Baking Co.’s Banana Bread Mix as I finally had three ripe bananas on hand. Bananas never last long in our house, but I managed to save these as I’ve been wanting to try this mix.
I followed the directions on the back of the bag this time (no more pumpkin mishaps), but I did sub whole milk yogurt for the oil. Last but not least, I stirred in toasted walnuts (you must toast), and a couple handfuls of Trader Joe’s mini milk chocolate PB cups. I’d like to thank my friend Jill for the toasted walnut tip and my friend Jessica for bringing me the mini PB cups. I will never bake another loaf of banana bread without these two ingredients. The bread turned out great! This morning’s breakfast…
A warm slice of banana bread x 2 and a mug of hot cocoa. The bites that contained both a crunchy walnut and a slightly melted PB cup? Delicious! The XO mix made this bread so easy to prepare, and I like it because it’s not super sweet. Good stuff, and if you don’t have a TJ’s near you, any PB cup will do, or simply stir in some chocolate chips and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter. Happy baking!
{ 57 comments }
I always add walnuts and chocolate chips to banana bread! I never would have thought to add pb cups or peanut butter. I’ll try it next time!
The mini pb cup add in is so fun! I love banana bread! SO addictive!
::drools:: ok. i have definitely waltzed by those mini pb cups, picked them up & oogled and then put them back bc i didn’t know what to do with them. now they have purpose haha! i want this so badly like …. right now. thanks heather ;p good thing i only live 1.5 mi from TJs!
Melissa, so welcome. Hope you are loving on some mini pb cups right about now.
I just posted about cake mix cookies and said that most cake mixes and brands, in general, are fairly similar. It’s what you DO to them, i.e. what you add in, how long you bake them, etc that make all the difference and I totally agree that PB cups make banana bread amazing! Well, I’ve never actually tried PB cups but I only make banana bread w/ peanut butter added now. It stays so moist and wonderful…adding in chocolate chips or actual PB cups…must try that too
I always add chocolate chips to my banana bread! My boyfriend doesn’t like nuts in baked goods, so I leave them out.
I just bought bananas today. I believe bread will be made later this week- with peanut butter and chocolate chips!
Heather, I know both you and boyfriend will love.
Brown sugar is my addition to banana bread. I love how it gets all caramelized!
Sarena,
Yes, me too. Love the little crunch brown sugar adds.
I love that mug!
Thanks Krystina.
The mug was a gift from a friend, and she bought it at Anthropology. I love it too.
I love adding peanut butter to banana bread! I never thought to add PB cups, though. I need to try that soon.
What a great idea! I can’t wait to try the PB cups in the banana bread recipe. Thanks and Happy Baking!
Mini peanut butter cups in banana bread….
That. Is . Brilliant!
So easy, yet so elegant! So simple, yet so decadent! I must try this!
That’d why I could never adhere to the raw thing…
a) I love to bake/eat hot food
b) Toasting nuts/seeds/ coconut just bring out the BEST flavours! All those oils inside need to be brought out.
You should toast walnuts with a drizzle of maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt…. amazing in a green salad with goats cheese (oh how I miss) and figs.
Yum I want to eat banana bread, drink cocoa and CRAFT with you! Perfect weekend right there
Lou, I agree. I love roasted nut butters – I like the raw versions, but the roasted have so much more flavor, and I love the sound of your toasted walnut salad!!! I can’t wait for our craft date.
mini pb cups? oooh mannn i know what i’m making as soon as my bananas get ripe!!
Funny! I made banana bread muffins yesterday, and it IS all about the add-ins. I used chocolate chips and peanut butter chips in some of them! (and coconut and macadamias in the others). But I bet the mini PB cups would be awesome!
Marcia,
Your muffins sound delicious. Love both those combos.
Ooo I like the idea to sub whole milk yogurt for oil! I bet it makes it taste nice and rich. I haven’t been baking in so long I’ve forgotten all the cool substitutions I used to do. Maybe when I get a new kitchen. (My current stove is terrible.)
Maggie,
That stinks about the stove! The yogurt worked well, but after a day, the bread tasted kind of dry. CD reprimanded me for not using butter instead.
PB cups in banana bread=genius!
No way! I planned on making banana bread tomorrow and this looks so good!
Couldn’t agree more. Some form of chocolate and peanut butter should be added to nearly all food. ha.
that looks so yummy! never thought of peanut butter cups!
Ahhhhhh! I miss those mini pb cups so much it hurts sometimes!
Peanut butter isn’t PB without the chocolate…chocolate and PB, a marriage made in heaven. And I’d be drizzling a chocolate PB glaze over that banana bread. Walnuts always!
Marty,
oooh, I like the way you think. chocolate PB glaze would have been the perfect addition! Too bad the bread is all gone.
Chocolate chips are a must with banana bread (or pumpkin bread) at our house! And every time I make banana bread or muffins my husband asks me to add walnuts to it. And you are so right, roasting it is the best! I love roasted nuts, they are far superior in flavor than raw ones – same goes for nut butters, I love roasted nut butters but do not care for the raw ones.
Your banana bread looks delicious Heather! (and now I think I should buy some of those mini pb cups… Matheus have seen and asked for them at TJ’s, but I have always resisted buying it, looks like I should give in, at least once!)
Ana
Ana,
I agree. I like raw nut butter, but I LOVE roasted nut butters. So much more flavor, and yes, you should totally buy the mini PB cups, but I must tell you, once you do, it’s difficult not to buy more!
My favorite Banana Bread recipe has been my grain-free one made with peanut butter instead of almond butter and chopped baker’s chocolate!!! MMMM
Alex,
OK, that sounds pretty much perfect in my book.
That souns like the greatest breakfast ever. Banana bread and cocoa? Yes!!!
I love adding peanut butter to my banana bread…although I’ve never used walnuts (weirdly enough because every fantastic banana bread I’ve tried contains walnuts). I’ll have to next time!
Mary, yes, you must try adding walnuts next time. Just make sure you toast them first. Makes all the difference!
I need some toasted nuts in my life… a creepy twss.
It makes me wish I would have toasted the pecans I put in my turtle chickpea cookies over the weekend… next time, for sure. And anything with peanut butter cups in them is a winner in my book. Have a great week, Heabie!
Christin, turtle chickpea cookies? I think my heart just skipped a beat.
Recipe going up by the end of the week. So ridiculous.
hi, im not sure if it is the right place to ask this but would love to see a post about how you balance being a mother and having 2 big dogs. How do you manage to give the dogs their daily walks and doing ething around your baby? thanks
E
Hi Esther,
Oh the pups. They are indeed a lot of work but so worth it. Pre-Summer, I was resident dog walker, and I would walk them anywhere from 3 to 6 miles a day. In fact, dog walking has been a main form of exercise for me for the past few years now. When Summer came along, I was hesitant to walk both dogs with the stroller or when I used a baby sling b/c they tend to pull when they see other dogs or squirrels, but if they’re walked consistently, they’re fine, and the four of us took long walks every morning this past summer. However, now that the weather isn’t always baby friendly, my husband has taken over and tries to walk the dogs whenever he can. He’ll run 2 or 3 miles with them before work some days, and then tries to take them on longer runs on the weekends. So, no, they don’t get exercise everyday, but we’re doing our best. Thankfully, we have a fenced-in back yard, and so I don’t have to walk them whenever they need to go. That helps a lot! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
mini PB cups in banana bread sounds awesome!
I LOVE this add-in idea. You are tempting me… You helped bring me away from sugar, but now you are encouraging it!
Ashley,
Oh dear, so sorry. I tend to do that to people. I’m sure I’ll be posting sugarless recipes again soon…I go through phases, and definitely in a bit of a sweets phase these days.
I’m under the belief that even bad banana bread is still good banana bread. I’ve even been known to eat banana breads that I know are way past their expiration date because in my world, no banana bread should ever go to waste. If that makes me weird, then dang it, I don’t wanna be right. And now I want a big slice of the stuff. Excuse me while I try to quickly ripen my still-green bananas.
Teeny,
Nope, not weird at all if you ask me.
So cute that you remembered me telling you that-it does make such a difference. Will definitely have to try the peanut butter cups! Seeing the PB cup idea made me remember that I have some sort of PB/chocolate swirl banana bread recipe bookmarked someone on my computer that I need to find. Chopped dates are really good in banana bread, and plain banana bread with extra cinnamon + a cinnamon crumble on top is pretty awesome, too.
love banana bread, but to be honest never been a fan of nuts in baked goods. i am weird like that haha
Pure2raw,
Yeah, a little weird, but I still love you.
O. M. G. Bananas… Peanut butter cups… and bread. ALL in one? Are you kidding? That’s like nirvana in my mouth!
Banana bread is great, so versatile to play around with. my boys have some in their lunch bentos today!
As usual Heather, looks and sounds delightful!! Adding TJ’s peanut butter chocolate cups.. you’re a genius!! So glad you enjoyed this mix. Along with the fudge brownie, it’s one of our best sellers.
Thanks Lindsey, it was so good. Just finished off the loaf last night – so sad it’s gone.
That sounds like the perfect combo of flavors!
What are your thoughts on “The Blood Type Diet”…just curious?
Simple chick,
Well, although I’ve never tried it myself, I’ve read the book. I didn’t like it b/c as a Type A, I was told to avoid both bananas and chickpeas I think it was. No hummus? No way! I will say that I’ve heard from several people who follow the diet, and they said they’ve never felt better. For my type, more of a vegetarian diet is recommended which is the way I ate when I lost all of my weight, but now I eat meat and don’t have trouble maintaining my weight loss. I do notice that I don’t need a lot of protein, and my body does great with plenty of fat and some carbs. So, all that to say, that I really don’t know what to make of the diet. In theory, it makes sense, but it would be too restrictive for me to follow.
My husband is wondering why I’m licking the computer screen.
That looks FABULOUS!!!!!!
Alyssa,
Haha, love it. Hope your monitor didn’t get too smeared.
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