Banana bread

Ingredients:

150g demerara sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large free range eggs

2 bananas, mashed

275g self-raising flour

shake of ground ginger

shake of ground cinnamon

150g unsalted butter, melted

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3 / 170 degrees C
• Whisk the eggs and sugar until combined, the leave for five minutes - it will go a bit frothy
• Whisk for a few more minutes, then add the mashed banana and vanilla and whisk until combined
• Add the flour and spices, and stir to combine
• Add the melted butter and stir until smooth (there will be a few lumps from the bananas)
• Pour into a large cake tin (I always use silicone) and bake for 50 minutes
• Turn halfway round through cooking
• Test with a skewer and if it comes out clean, it's ready
• If not, leave for another five minutes
• Turn out on to a cooling rack and leave to cool nearly completely (it's easier to slice when cool!)

Low fat banana bread

A really, really easy, and low fat banana bread. It can easily be made gluten free too.

You will need:
4 ripe bananas, mashed
225g self raising flour (can be substituted for gluten free flour)
100g low fat margarine
100-150g of unrefined caster sugar (the less sugar you use, the less calories the final loaf will be!)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste/extract
handful of dried fruit (optional)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to gas mark 4 (180°C/350°F), grease and line a 2lbs loaf tin.
2. Put everything in a large bowl, and mix with an electric mixer for a few minutes. Leave for 2 minutes for the raising agent to start working, then fold int he dried fruit (if using).
3. Pour into loaf tin and bake for 1 and half hours until the top is golden.
4. Leave to cool on a cooling rack. Scoff!

Is also nice with a shake of ground cinnamon in the mix.

Healthy workout cookies

I saw this recipe online, but a few of the comments said they were a bit tasteless, so I decided to make my own version.

You will need:
2 large (or 3 small) ripe bananas
400g rolled oats
1 small handful of dried fruit (I used currants)
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (must be cocoa, not drinking chocolate, that has sugar added) 
2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of chocolate extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

Method (makes about 12 - I ate one before I took the picture!)
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 (180°C / 350°F)
Mash the bananas with a fork, then add everything else and bring together into a rough dough
Shape into 12 cookie shapes on a greased baking sheet, and pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes
Leave to cool on a cooling rack

That's it! Easy peasy. They have a lovely chewy texture, somewhere between a cookie and a cake. They'll keep for a few days in an airtight container. 

This is the secret ingredient! Chocolate extract (I got mine from Lakeland). The cookies turned out really nice, much nicer than I thought they would. One or two before a workout gives you some good carbs for energy, or if, like me, you love cakes and biscuits, one of these is a nice healthy alternative. 

 

UPDATE: 21 May 2013
I made these again today, but totally forgot that they were in the oven! I left them in there for just over 40 minutes. I thought they'd be ruined, but they were actually really nice - a bit crunchier on top, but still moist and chewy in the middle. So I'll be intentionally overbaking them from now on!