Raspberry Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Brownies
Yields: 16 bars
 
These dessert bars are perfect for any fruit or chocolate lover! They taste like sweet banana bread and have the same texture as extra fudgy brownies. And those rich chocolate chips are so hard to resist! They’ll keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup (195g) mashed banana (about 2 large)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ¾ tsp vanilla crème stevia
  • 2 tbsp (30mL) nonfat milk
  • 6 tbsp (53g) raspberries, finely diced (fresh or frozen and completely thawed)
  • 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat a 9”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut oil, mashed banana, and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain.* Mix in the stevia and milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the raspberries and 1 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
  3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 300°F for 17-20 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies rest for an additional 3 hours before slicing for the fudgiest texture.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¾ cup (90g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends should work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. In a pinch, regular whole wheat flour will work, but the brownies will have a slightly more wheat-y flavor that may mask some of the banana flavor.

The combined amount of mashed banana and Greek yogurt should equal ¾ cup. If you have slightly more than ¾ cup mashed banana, you can substitute some of the extra for some of the Greek yogurt, and vice versa.

For a vegan version, substitute mashed banana for the Greek yogurt, and substitute any non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.

The best substitute I can recommend in place of the vanilla crème stevia is 2 ¼ teaspoons of this powdered stevia. If substituting a different sweetener (i.e. coconut sugar, honey, pure maple syrup, etc.), you’ll need 5-6 tablespoons of those options listed or the equivalent of 5-6 tablespoons of sugar. The baking time and texture will most likely be different.

Make sure the raspberries are cut very finely, no larger than the size of the miniature chocolate chips, to ensure the brownies bake evenly. If using frozen and thawed raspberries, gently pat them dry with a paper towel to remove the excess moisture that results from thawing.

*If the coconut oil or butter re-solidifies upon adding the Greek yogurt, microwave the mixture for 10-14 seconds to re-melt it (ONLY if your bowl is microwave safe!).

{gluten-free, vegan option, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/08/23/raspberry-chocolate-chip-banana-bread-brownies/