Dessert 1: Loaded Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

When you have browning bananas sitting in a bowl, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Thanks to +Sugar&SpicebyCeleste for the Pinterest that made me think of Banana Bread! 

I decided to take my own twist on the classic, which meant an additional, FAR more healthy recipe...so let's start with that and I'll update after dinner when we try the banana bread :) 

The ingredient: Baked Cinnamon Apple

The recipe: 

• One apple, peeled
• 1/8 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon

The process: 

• Put the butter and cinnamon in a small, microwave-safe container
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 
• Microwave for about 20 seconds
• Stir the butter and cinnamon
• Using a knife, spread the cinnamon butter on the entire apple
• Put the apple on a baking pan
• Bake at 350 degrees for about eleven minutes (bake time will depend on the apple you use...keep a small knife nearby to test the apple and make sure the knife tip goes in easily) 
• Keep the apple covered as it cools for about 10 minutes. You should be able to hold the apple easily without burning yourself, but it should still be warm. 
• When you slice/bite into the apple (it is advised that you eat it with a fork, as it will be messy), there should be streaks of cinnamon). 
• Enjoy! 

What went right: 

Honestly, everything! In order to make the banana bread, I cut the apple into small slices/chunks. I ate the portion that was left around the core and really it was so delicious. This thing tastes like candy, I could eat a whole pie of it....hint hint wink wink nudge nudge ;) 

What went wrong:

I only made one....

Calories and nutrition:

The apple on its own is about 75 calories, and with the butter (12 calories) and cinnamon (6 calories), the total is only 98 calories for a delicious and healthy treat! 

From start to finish, the apple took maybe 20 minutes. Barely enough time for me to get the rest of my ingredients started. I will definitely be making it frequently in college. It's very satisfying as well. 

The Recipe:  Loaded Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

• One baked Cinnamon Apple
• 4 oz (1/2 a small tub) of soft, low fat Cream Cheese
• 3/8 cup of unsalted Butter (Love how a stick of butter comes with markings on the wax paper!) 
• Two overripe Bananas, mashed in a separate bowl (by my wonderful little brother <3) 
• One cup of Sugar
• One large egg
• 1 1/2 cup of flower
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda (which I learned today is totally different from baking powder! xP)
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 cup of Pecans
• Desired amount (For me, about 1/4 cup) of 60% Cocoa chocolate chips 

The process: 

• Keep the oven at 350 degrees
• Soften the butter in the microwave
• Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese at a moderate speed until creamy
• Gradually add sugar (about 1/3 cup each time should do) and beat into the mixture, using a spatula to keep all ingredients in the center of the bowl
• Gradually add flour and beat into the mixture
• Add baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt, and the egg and blend 
• Add mashed banana and blend 
• Cut the cinnamon apple into desired sizes
• Blend the cinnamon apple into the batter
• Add chocolate chips and blend into the batter
• Butter desired baking pan...I used a square pan of about 6x6 inches with a 3 inch depth. A cupcake pan would work too, or anything really. 
• Pour the batter into desired baking pan and smooth with spatula
• Bake on the top shelf away from heat source for 22 minutes
• At 15 minute mark, put the sliced pecans in their own pan and roast for 2 minutes
• Allow the pecans to cool
• After 22 minutes of baking the banana bread, scatter the roasted pecans on top
• Bake banana bread for another 30-45 minutes, testing it every 13-15 minutes
• When it is done, allow it to cool with a paper towel over the top of the pan
• Enjoy! 

What went right:

The banana bread is super nice and moist, the pecans turned out fantastically on top, the density is really nice...it's light but it still has a richness. The apples and chocolate and cinnamon, when they're prevalent, really add to the flavor. Addicting!!

What went wrong:
I definitely needed more chocolate, or potentially cocoa shavings instead of chips to make it more even, and potentially more apple. The cinnamon apple wasn't easy to taste in every bite, but I could see it in the bread and it definitely added to the texture in a beneficial way. Next time I'll mix more thoroughly and cut larger pieces.

Calories and Nutrition:
The difficulty of counting calories for this is that there are so many different ingredients. For the most part, it is just banana bread made with cream cheese. One slice of homemade banana bread with cream cheese is about 43 calories, adding 1/12 of a cinnamon apple (8 calories), two pecans at most (2 calories), and two chocolate chips at most (10 calories)...so one slice of my banana bread was about 63 calories. Using cream cheese makes it far more healthy than margarine. While it is about 40% fat, it also has two kinds of fruit, 2.5g of fiber, and is a great alternative to desserts like cake, cookies, ice cream, or donuts.

Very fun time baking this and now that I know the recipe well, I think I can cut the prep time in half next time. The one downside for most college students is not having a hand mixer...this is one of those recipes that would take a very large amount of diligent stirring without it and luckily I will have one when I get there, but I wouldn't try it otherwise. I think this will be a favorite healthy cake, but not something I make every day. I think this recipe would be better for cupcakes, or in a shorter pan, to get more area out of the same batter. The original was doubled, but when you have more you eat more xD

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed :)