high protein banana bread (no protein powder)
Serves 10
20 mins prep
70 mins cook
90 mins total
This high protein banana bread is a recipe that once I nailed it, I legitimately said this is the best banana bread I've ever had! It's literally so tender and soft that it melts in your mouth (but not in an underbaked sort of way) and smells like you just walked into your favorite corner store bakery ♥️. It gets 10g of protein per slice entirely from cottage cheese, flaxseed, and eggs. No protein powder. No supplements!
brown butter
dry ingredients
wet ingredients
fold-ins
topping
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 8.5" x 4.5" light-colored metal loaf pan with parchment paper or butter and lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking.
Make the brown butter: add the ⅓ cup (74g) unsalted butter to a light-colored skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the foam subsides and small golden-brown specks appear on the bottom, pour immediately into the mixing bowl mentioned below.
While the brown butter cooks, mash the 2 medium-large very ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl. It's ok if the butter is hot.
Blend together the 1⅔ cups (421g) cottage cheese, 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup (95g) pure maple syrup, 1 tbsp (5g) vanilla bean paste, and Zest from 1 orange. Combine this with your bananas and browned butter.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1⅓ cups (200g) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (44g) almond flour, ⅓ cup (41g) ground flaxseed, 1¼ tsp (6g) baking powder, ¾ tsp (5g) salt, ¼ tsp (3g) cardamom, and ¼ tsp (1g) ground ginger.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold gently until just combined. The batter will be thick. A few small streaks of flour are fine — stop mixing before the batter looks uniform. Then fold in the ½ cup (80g) dark chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If using the turbinado topping (which you should!!), mix the ¼ cup turbinado sugar and ¼ tsp cardamom together and sprinkle evenly over the batter. If skipping the topping, have foil nearby to tent the loaf toward the end.
Bake on the middle or lower rack for 65-70 minutes. Starting around 45 minutes, if the top is browning quickly (because you didn't top with the sugar), tent loosely with foil. The bread is done when the center springs back when gently pressed. If a toothpick comes out with wet batter (not just a melted chocolate streak), give it 5 more minutes.
Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. The interior continues to set as it cools!
