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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Moist Banana Nut Bread
Are you craving moist banana bread? I've found the perfect recipe for you.
Weight Watchers Moist Banana Bread with Walnuts
It is from a cookbook called, The Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, and Stress-Free Strategies for Busy People (affiliate link) by Abigail Johnson Dodge, a contributing Editor at Fine Cooking.
I grew up eating dry banana bread and have been experimenting with various recipes for years, in search of a consistently moist banana bread that isn't too full of fat.
If you add enough butter and/or sour cream to any banana bread recipe it will be moist; but I like to eat banana bread relatively often, not as a special occasion dessert.
The Skinny on Moist Banana Bread
Imagine my delight when I happened across a recipe for supermoist banana-nut muffins in The Weekend Baker (affiliate link) by Abigail Johnson Dodge the other day.
Most muffin recipes are easily convertible to quick breads if you have a loaf pan (affiliate link) and the extra time required to bake them. In this helpful cookbook, Abby provides the exact details.
In the introduction to her recipe, she gives her secrets for baking up super moist banana bread or banana muffins - canola (or corn) oil and super-ripe bananas. She explains that the banana peels should be black, not just lightly speckled, for the best banana flavor.
I could barely contain my excitement. I happened upon a recipe for super moist banana bread that isn't full of butter and sour cream.
What can I say? I'm a woman of simple pleasures.
The whole recipe calls for just ⅓ cup of oil. With way overripe bananas on the kitchen counter, I was in business.
The results were as promised - a moist banana bread recipe.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Banana Bread?
According to my calculations, a slice of this moist banana bread has 237 calories and:
8 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
7 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
A similar slice from Starbucks packs 420 calories and *17 WW Freestyle SmartPoints. That's a savings of 183 calories!!!
If you like this recipe for moist banana bread, be sure to check out some of my other easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly bread and muffin recipes including Banana Nut Muffins, WW Low-Fat Chocolate Banana Bread,Skinny Broccoli Cheese Muffins, Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Mini Muffinsand Healthy Low-Fat Applesauce Banana Bread
Watch this demonstration that shows you how to make low-fat banana bread:
Favorite Moist Banana Bread Recipe Variations
- Chocolate Chip Coconut Moist Banana Bread: Add ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or ½ cup coconut instead of the nuts.
- Moist Banana Bread with Pineapple: Add ½ cup well-drained crushed pineapple into the banana mixture and replace the walnuts with pecans or macadamia nuts.
Kitchen Tip: Do you have over ripe bananas languishing on the counter and no time to turn them into banana bread? Pop them into a heavy-duty freezer bag, either peeled or un-peeled and freeze them until you do. Let them thaw for about 5 minutes at room temperature and they should be ready to use to make super moist banana bread, or any other recipe calling for very ripe bananas that suits your fancy.
If you've made this banana bread, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it.
Moist Banana Bread with Walnuts Recipe
Never one to be able to leave a recipe alone, I used 1-¼ cups all-purpose flour and ½ cup white wheat flour for a little nutritional boost and nutty flavor in this moist banana nut bread. I also added chocolate chips and coconut.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr
Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Servings (adjustable): 12
Calories: 237
Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living
Ingredients
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 medium very, very ripe bananas, peeled
- ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil, or corn oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Instructions
Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Lightly grease and flour an 8-½ x 4-½-inch loaf pan (affiliate link).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
In a large bowl, combine the bananas, brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer (affiliate link) on medium speed until well blended with only small bits of banana visible.
Pour the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and gently stir with a rubber spatula (affiliate link) just until blended. If using the nuts, add them when the flour is almost blended, and stir to incorporate.
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick, or cake tester, inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Using a thin knife, gently loosen the bread from the sides of the pan and slip it out of the pan. Tip the loaf on its side and let cool on the rack until warm or at room temperature.
Wrap the cooled loaf of moist banana bread with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
8 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
8 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
7 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
Click here to see your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.
Nutrition Facts
Moist Banana Bread with Walnuts Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 237Calories from Fat 101
% Daily Value*
Fat 11.2g17%
Carbohydrates 30.7g10%
Fiber 1.9g8%
Protein 4.9g10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana bread, banana bread with nuts
Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
Source: The Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, and Stress-Free Strategies for Busy People (affiliate link) by Abigail Johnson Dodge. This is a great cookbook for people who want to bake but have minimal time. The recipes are organized according to the time they take to make. It is not full of pictures, but instead offers short ingredient lists, big type, and easy to follow instructions.
If you like this recipe for moist + delicious banana bread, you might also like:
- Healthy Low Fat Banana Bread
- Bran Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
- Banana Cranberry Muffins
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
More about Martha McKinnon
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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