The other day, my husband and I were craving a dessert. I wanted something good, but not too unhealthy. I came across this recipe on myrecipes.com. It’s a recipe from a cooking school, La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta, a hotel and spa in Baja California. I love cooking with prunes, but I’ve never used them in this way. I was intrigued by the lack of sugar and butter in the recipe. I had to give it a try! Franz and I give it a big thumbs up! It has a perfect chocolate flavor – not too sweet, but just enough to satisfy my chocolate craving! If you have any great recipes using prunes, let me know! I always buy a huge bag of them, & I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate them into my meals!
Chocolate Banana Bread
12 ounces pitted prunes
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2)
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour (or 1/2 cup each)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used half walnuts and half pecans.)
1/2 cup banana chips, coarsely chopped (I used unsweetened, freeze-dried banana slices from Trader Joe’s.)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1) In a small saucepan, bring prunes and 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until prunes are very soft, about 20 minutes. Drain.
2) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 5-by-9-in. loaf pan and line bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit.
3) In a food processor, whirl prunes and bananas until very smooth. Add eggs and whirl to combine.
4) In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir in nuts, banana chips, and chocolate chips. Scrape the thick batter into a pan and spread level.
5) Bake bread until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out a little chocolaty but not gooey, 45-50 minutes. Loosen bread from pan with a knife and invert onto a rack. Remove parchment. Turn bread right side up and let cool at least one hour before slicing (my husband and I waited about 15 minutes!).
Take care and happy eating!
