I do a lot of baking during the holiday season. Whether it’s a yummy breakfast treat, candy cane cupcakes or Christmas cookies for the entire family to decorate, I’m never too far away from my oven this time of year.
I love making special breakfasts for my family on the weekends because Justin & I both get a lot busier with work during the holidays and the weekends allow us to reconnect. To make the weekends extra special, I often bake muffins or banana bread.
I like doing what I can to make my baking recipes a little bit healthier- I do it all year long, but especially this time of year when we’re already loading up on so many traditional holiday foods. I recently tried a new banana bread recipe from Pompeian Oil, and it was so good! The recipe originally called for olive oil, but I gave it a bit of a healthier kick with Pompeian 100% Grapeseed Oil!
Grapeseed Oil is a smart alternative to other oils because it has a high amount of Vitamin E & anti-oxidants. Pompeian Oil’s 100% Grapeseed Oil Spray is imported from France and is made using 100% wine grapes, so it’s natural and chemical-free. It is great for baking, but can be used for grilling, stir-frying and sautéing as well.
Funky Monkey Banana Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup Pompeian 100% Grapeseed Oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed, about 1 cup
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5” loaf pan with Pompeian 100% Grape Seed Oil.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Blend together oil and sugar. Add vanilla extract, eggs and mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients, in two parts, to banana mixture. Do not over mix.
4. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack before removing from pan. Cool completely before serving.
Recipe provided by Pompeian {with substitution of Grapeseed Oil for Olive Oil made by me}
Grapeseed Oil is great for baking because it has a high smoke point which helps the food avoid that “burnt oil” smell & flavor that can sometimes occur.
When I made this banana bread, I also tried using the oil to grease the pan- something I don’t usually do with oil. This was the first time that I have ever made banana bread {which I’ve done a million times} where the loaf didn’t stick to the pan at all! I always coat the pan with something but it’s never been Grapeseed Oil before- I think I’ve found my new favorite baking trick!
{Please note that Grapeseed Oil is natural & chemical-free, so it isn’t technically non-stick- it just happened to work really, really well at making my bread not stick. Pompeian also recommends sprinkling a bit of flour onto your pan before you bake, so I’ll try that next time and let you know how that goes.}
What will you be baking this holiday season?
Kelsey Apley says
Oh yum this looks great. I am gonna have to pick up some of that oil and try it. I have heard it is pretty awesome!!!
Vanessa: thequeenofswag says
Banana bread is my favorite. I will have to try this one.
carla bonesteel says
I like that you use grapeseed oil, which I would never think of to use in banana bread…which is one of my favorites! Awesome!
Jenn S (FotoJennic) says
You are reading my MIND!! My husband and I were just talking about making some banana bread 🙂 I like the healthified version, but I have a super phobia about eating any fat, oils, etc. You can substitute the oil with apple sauce in most recipes, so I might try that along with using only egg whites. I know there are healthy for you oils and that your body does need those fats, so in the future I may try using the grapeseed oil.
Thank you, dear!!
Jenn S (FotoJennic) says
*NOTE* that the applesauce MUST be no sugar added. otherwise, you have to reduce the amount of sugar in your recipe.
Melissa says
This looks SO good! I love banana bread.
Angela says
Oh my, this looks delicious!
HilLesha says
That looks very delicious!
Amanda @ Mommy of Two Little Monkeys says
This looks delicious! Your bread looks light and fluffy, though I would have to smear some butter all over my slice while it’s still warm 😛
Janel says
Your banana bread looks amazing! We always bake sugar cookies for the holidays.
Melanie Roberts says
YUMMM..my all time favorite is Banana Bread…love your recipe and it looks delicious… thanks for sharing
Jennifer Young says
I’ve never tried Grapeseed oil before, but would love to! My girls love banana bread, it definitely doesn’t last long in our house!
Aimee Smith says
We bake cookies! I have never tried Grapeseed Oil, I will have to give it a shot!
Jennifer Soltys says
Love banana bread and this sounds like a great recipe!!
Tiff @ Babes and Kids says
I love a really good banana bread. Your recipe sounds really delicious!
brett says
i adore banana bread. in fact, we have a few overripe bananas now….hmmmmm
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I think it gives it a slightly different and unique flavor too, don’t you?
Carlee C says
That looks so good. I make homemade banana bread all the time and my family loves it.
David Smith says
I love banana bread and this recipe looks pretty good. I haven’t tried grapeseed oil for baking yet, but it probably would make it healthier than regular vegetable oil. Thank you for the recipe.
Colleen says
This looks great. Banana bread is so good in the morning warmed up with some butter.
Jonathan Baker says
Really great article! I had not heard of grapeseed oil before, so I’m glad you mentioned its smoke point. I typically use canola or veg. oil instead of olive oil for stir-frying because of that, but I bet grapeseed oil would taste better and is probably better for you. Thanks for the tips!
Toni says
Yum! This looks delicious!
Stefani says
I would love to try your recipe. I love banana bread!
Lisa - Between the Kids says
That looks WONDERFUL!!! My family has requested that I bake the bread this Christmas! I’m getting so excited!
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
I’m collecting all these wonderful looking desserts! I’m hosting Christmas dinner this year.
Marcie W. says
We have exactly three bananas that MUST be used very soon. I think I’ll make this tonight to enjoy over the weekend.
Lolo says
I love banana bread! I am going to have to try this recipe!
Mellisa says
I love banana bread, I’ll have to try this recipe out.
Stefanie says
I’m the only one in my house that likes banana bread– that’s both a good and bad thing 😉
Jennifer @TheRebelChick says
Your banana bread looks delicious! I love making banana bread and probably have five different recipes LOL!
Debi says
Banana bread is one of my favorites.
Kathleen says
Looks delicious! There are few things that I love more than a nice warm slice of banana bread.
Theresa says
Mmm this looks so good.
Ty @ Mama of 3 Munchkins says
Oh my yum! This looks very delicious!
Leilani says
Banana bread is my favorite! I could eat an entire loaf on my own.
Beth Rees says
We love banana bread, but I never would have though of using grapeseed oil. Definitely something we will have to try! Thanks for sharing the recipe
Angela S says
I love a good banana bread recipe!
Seth says
I am a sucker for banana bread and I’m always up for trying new varieties, so I’d like to give this a try.
Sandra VanHoey says
This does sound like a great recipe and looks fabuolous. Thanks so much for sharing
Anne says
I have a bottle of grapeseed oil I’ve used for stir-frying, but I haven’t used it in baked goods–yet! This recipe looks really good, and banana bread is perfect for winter, when most other fruits are not in season. Good old bananas, right? Thanks for the recipe.
Janet W. says
I love making banana bread! It’s one of my favorites! I’ll have to try your recipe soon!
Elena says
Looks delicious! Thank you for the recipe