Blueberry and Almond Butter Banana Bread

I really like banana bread (doesn’t everyone?) but I very rarely eat it. It’s a bit like muffins in that it feels too decadent to eat for breakfast or a snack regularly, but every time I do eat it, I wonder why I don’t make it more often.

Recently I bought some natural almond butter from Trader Joe’s (one of my favourite stores here in the US – I love their unique snacks and some international food that you can’t find in most other US grocery stores) and can I let you in on a little secret? I don’t really like it.

You see, I’m a peanut butter girl, through and through. I can even stretch to hazelnut butter (especially when it has chocolate in it – am I right?) or even vanilla-flavoured nut butters. But, for me, plain old good-for-you-and-unflavoured almond butter just doesn’t float my boat. So now I’m stuck eating it on my toast until the jar is empty. Sucks to be me.

Like any normal person, I started thinking how I could incorporate it into my baking, thus killing two birds with one stone. I get to use up the almond butter faster than simply spreading it on toast every day, plus I’m using it in something where it actually adds benefit and a great taste.  Winning.

So, of course, my mind wanders to almond butter banana bread. And then to blueberries, because I also had an abundance of those in the fridge. All of a sudden, I had created a soft, juicy and nutty banana bread that was sure to be a hit.

Lucky for me, it was.

There is a depth of spice and warmth about this banana bread that is broken up by the sweetness of the bananas and blueberries. It is more complex than most other banana breads, but equally as delicious.

And there you have it, ladies and gentleman. A delicious way to use up almond butter when all you’re really craving is peanuts.

Blueberry and Almond Butter Banana Bread

Recipe by Julia

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/3 cup almond butter

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

• 3/4 cup blueberries

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease and line a 9×5 loaf tin.
• Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and then make a small well in the center.
• Melt the almond butter in a separate bowl by placing it in the microwave for around 30-40 seconds. When soft, stir the sugar into the almond butter.
• In a third bowl, combine the mashed banana, buttermilk, egg, and both extracts. Then gently stir in the almond butter-sugar mixture.
• Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, before finally folding in the blueberries, taking care not to overmix. The batter will be sticky and thick at this point – this is normal.
• Tip the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon as much as possible.
• Bake in the oven for around 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. If the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, cover it with some baking paper for the remaining bake time.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.