My younger daughter, Madison, loves banana bread, so I always keep extra bananas on hand and let them get super ripe (almost black!) just to make it for her. Overripe bananas are very sweet, which means you can cut back on the sugar without missing any sweetness. The first time I tried making a quick bread in my slow cooker, I was blown away! I couldn’t believe how perfectly it turned out. It’s really great during the warmer months when I don’t want to heat up my kitchen by turning the oven on.
Skinny Scoop: If you want to bake it in the oven instead, bake in a 350°F oven for about 50 minutes.
— Gina Homolka
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Reprinted from Skinnytaste Fast and Slow. Copyright ©2016 by Gina Homolka. Photographs copyright ©2016 by Helene Dujardin. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
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This recipe works best in a 6-quart oval or rectangular slow cooker that can hold a loaf pan and a small rack. If you don't have a rack that will fit into your slow cooker, cut 3 or 4 sheets of foil about 12 inches long and roll them into individual balls, flattening the top of each ball slightly so that the loaf pan can sit on top of the balls.
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- Baking spray
- 1 cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 overripe medium bananas mashed
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Lightly coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with baking spray. Place a small rack or 3 or 4 foil balls into a slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar. Add the bananas, applesauce, egg whites, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until the chips are melted. Add dollops of the melted chocolate to the top of the batter. Using a butter knife, swirl the chocolate into the batter. Place the pan in the slow cooker on the rack and cover.
- Cover and cook on high for 2-1⁄2 to 3 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the slow cooker and let cool at least 20 minutes in the pan before turning the bread out of the pan. Cut into 12 slices to serve.
Nutrition information on this recipe:
PER SERVING 1 slice
CALORIES 134
FAT 3.5 g
SATURATED FAT 2 g
CHOLESTEROL 5 mg
CARBOHYDRATE 26 g
FIBER 2.5 g
PROTEIN 2 g
SUGARS 15 g
SODIUM 115 mg
