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Banana Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bread with Pecan Praline

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Layers of chocolate and banana bread, topped with a bit of pecan praline decadence.

Banana Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bread with Pecan Praline | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

I’m feeling all out of sorts. I have no energy when I wake up and I’m ready to take a nap by lunch time. It feels like my body is trying so hard to adjust to spring forward, to the fact that the sun’s coming up at a later hour. Maybe my whirlwind of a trip to Anaheim is finally catching up on me. Whatever it may be, I just want to hit a reset button and feel refreshed all over again.

There’s really only one word to describe my time at the Natural Products Expo West last weekend: wow. I have never seen so many people hawking over food samples and being excited to talk about food. I ate until I could eat no more, then took a quick rest and ate again. A food blogger’s stomach knows no limits. There were so many cool products to see, taste, and feel, like vanilla salt, granulated maple sugar, red palm oil, and baobob fruit chews. I remember tasting a hot sauce that was so spicy, I wanted to cry. It was so good.

As for the free samples, well, I don’t think I was out of pocket, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Natural Foods Expo Freebies

Thanks, Farrah for checking in with me! 😉

Banana Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bread with Pecan Praline | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

By the time I got back from the expo, there were a bunch of way too ripe bananas waiting to go into the oven. I know I’ve made a gluten-free banana and chocolate banana bread before, but this time, I’ve swirled some lovely peanut butter to the batter and poured a pecan praline sauce on top because why not?

The pecan praline is based off of a recipe from Joy the Baker’s Homemade Decadence. If you’re not familiar with her cookbook already, you need to get on it.  There’s just too many delicious recipes in there waiting to be brought to life and into our bellies. Trust me on this one.

Banana Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bread with Pecan Praline | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

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Banana Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bread with Pecan Praline

Banana Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bread with Pecan Praline | healthynibblesandbits.com #glutenfree

★★★★

4 from 2 reviews

Serves 12.

  • Author: Lisa Lin
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Category: dessert, gluten-free
Scale

Ingredients

Banana Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bread

  • 1 3/4 (210g) cups gluten-free flour blend (or use all-purpose flour)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 large ripe bananas (they should have a lot of dark spots on it)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (270g) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (80ml)
  • 1/3 cup (75g) unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pecan Praline

  • 3 TBS butter
  • 4 TBS brown sugar
  • 2 TBS low-fat milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 TBS chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (180 degrees C). Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. This will make it easier to pull out the bread later.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together.
  3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until there are no chunks left. Mix in the eggs, sugar, peanut butter, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour mixture. I usually add the flour in 3 batches. Divide the batter into two bowls.
  4. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Start by heating it for 30 seconds, then continue heating it in 15-second intervals until nearly all the chips have turned glossy. Pull the chips out of the microwave, and stir until you get a creamy chocolate mixture. Mix the chocolate with one half of the batter.
  5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, alternating between the light and dark batters. Using a knife, toothpick, or a skewer, swirl the batter on the top. You don’t need to overwork it, but you just want to create a bit of a pattern.
  6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes before pulling it out of the pan.
  7. PREPARE THE PECAN PRALINE: In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Then add sugar and milk, and mix everything together until everything looks like a sauce. Turn off the heat, and stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour the sauce over the bread. The praline hardens pretty quickly. If the sauce hardens before you poured it on top of the bread, just reheat it.
  8. Wrap leftovers in foil and refrigerate. It should keep for at least a week.

Looking for more banana bread recipes?

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Banana Carrot Bread with Coconut

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Banana Marble Muffins

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says

    THOSE SAMPLES! I think you have enough for food for your whole life!
    Or, at least a few days 😉
    Because you have so much, you should probably send me ALL of this bread. You don’t need it right 😉 LOVE that chocolate Peanut butter swirl. Pinned!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Hehe, that bag will be gone by the end of the week, I tell you! I am totally open to sharing this bread with you, lady! Thanks for the love!

      Reply

    • Lisa says

      My shoulders were in so much pain carrying it around the expo, but I have to say it was worth it! Thanks so much, lady!

      Reply

  7. Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says

    After seeing everyone’s fun pictures (and samples!) from Expo West, I think I need to put it on my list of trips for next year, right?! Also, putting praline topping on already amazing banana bread is brilliant!

    Reply

  8. Julia says

    I’ve been wanting to go to expo for YEARS!! I’ve heard you leave with insaaaane goody bags and I’m happy to hear you had a good time.

    Dis loaf. UGH It’s killing me with all the components!! I love PB + chocolate and the pecan praline situation is just maaaahvelous! I need to get my hands on Joy’s book. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Thanks, lady!! And that expo is soooo worth going one year. I didn’t stay the last day, and missed Bob from Bob’s Red Mill marching his way into the expo halls that morning. Another reason to visit the expo in my book!

      Reply

  12. Sonali- The Foodie Physician says

    I don’t know where to start! Well obviously this bread looks utterly amazing, my 21 month old daughter would devour it (if I didn’t first)! Then that expo- sounds like so much fun and those samples- whoa! And lastly, I don’t why, but springing forward is totally wreaking havoc on us this year, we’re all kinds of out of sorts!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Thanks, Sonali. Also, I’m so glad I’m not the only one feeling out of whack by spring forward! I think it means we just need the weekend to relax and settle into things again.

      Reply

  15. Catherine says

    Dear Lisa, I cannot get over all those samples! Enjoy them all!

    I love the layers in this cake…from the topping to the very bottom layer, this loaf is just beautiful.

    xo, Catherine

    Reply

  17. Joanne says

    DUUUUUDDEEE you really went crazy with the samples! And I mean that in the best way. WAY TO GO. Sounds like it was a ton of fun! I’ve been wondering why I’m so tired when waking up and I bet it is DST ending….hmm. As for this bread – I love anything with a peanut butter swirl, but the pecan praline topping takes it over the top!!

    Reply

  20. Kara @ The Foodie Dietitian says

    I felt the same way after the Expo! I just couldn’t get enough sleep and was so exhausted. I’m so sorry we didn’t bump into each other! Glad to see you made out well in the sample dept 😉 and that an awesome recipe came out of the trip! This is so drool-worthy.

    Reply

  21. Lorraine B says

    Concept of this bread is great, but mine came out very dry. I’ll try it again but will add sour cream and only bake for 50 minutes.

    ★★★

    Reply

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