We are officially in the holiday season and that means the ovens are turned up high and mixing bowls have been dusted off to be put to good use.
My housemate seems to always have a surplus of bananas in the house and has found banana bread to be the best way to use up that supply. This recipe is gluten free.
It has all the spices that will make your house smell like the winter season. Feel free to go light on the cinnamon or nutmeg if they aren’t your favorite because they do have a tendency to overpower the recipe. Without further ado…Banana Bread! Gluten free style.
2 1/2 cups white rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
6 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
~Optional 1/2 cup nuts
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease bread pan.
2) Mix dry ingredients together: rice flour, baking soda, seat salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and, if desired, chopped nuts.
3) In different bowl, mix the eggs, mashed bananas, honey, vanilla and melted coconut oil.
4) Add banana mixture to dry mix and mix well.
5) Pour batter into bread pan.
6) Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, approximately 70 minutes.
The original recipe calls for brown rice flour and walnuts, and says to bake for 50 minutes, but we have found it can take up to 90 minutes with this moist bread. If you want to make the bread even more festive, add craisins or shredded coconut to the mix. It will add even more sweetness to the batter and dress up an ordinary any-time-of-year recipe. Next time you make pumpkin bread or even chocolate chip cookies try coconut oil instead of vegetable.
The original recipe can be found on glutenfreeconfessions.com
One more recipe for you to try that doesn’t require the use of an oven is the extremely decadent Oreo truffle ball.
Using only Oreo cookies, cream cheese and melted chocolate you can turn an ordinary cookie into a highly sought after dessert. Tips for this recipe: don’t buy Double Stuffed Oreos, and freeze them longer than the suggested 10 minutes before dipping in the melted chocolate.
Ingredients:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
36 Oreo cookies
16 ounces of chocolate chips (dark, milk or semi-sweet) melted
Method:
1) Using a blender pulverize your Oreos to a crumbly consistency.
2) Add the cream cheese and blend the two ingredients together.
3) Create walnut sized balls and place on a wax lined baking sheet.
4) Chill for an hour.
5) Use a toothpick to keep hands clean and dip balls into melted chocolate.
6) For a crunchy addition sprinkle extra crumbled Oreo bits onto the melted chocolate.
7) Refreeze the balls until ready to serve.
These balls are rich and after one, maybe two, your party guests will be satisfied. You won’t have to worry about running out of desserts too quickly. This dessert is quick and easy and can be thrown together in a pinch if you only have a few hours notice.
