I wish there was a way to send and share smells through the internet, don’t you?

Well, since unfortunately there isn’t you’ll just have to do your best to imagine the smell of a banana bread filled with all the goodness of chai spices! Can you imagine it? Hey, or better yet, you’ll just have to go make it right now! Yeah, okay that’s definitely the best plan.

I’m going to keep the rest of this post short today because I really want you to get to try this. I have to ask though, don’t you think it’s funny how quick-breads are so named when in reality, they are actually just cake. I’ve said this before, I know, but I’m reminded of it every time I make one. But at the end of the day who cares? Call it what you will, this is a recipe that you’ll definitely want to make again and again every time you’ve got too many overripe bananas! I’ve been on a kick where all I want to bake is cakes, muffins, and quick breads. I think it’s the time of year.

I’ve also been really into chai tea lately, like we’re having a major moment, and if you share even a fraction of my addiction to Chai then I don’t see how you won’t love this! Alright, so let me know what you think of this if you test it because I love to hear!

Banana Bread with White Chocolate + Chai Spices

The warm and cozy flavors of chai add the perfect touch to this delicious banana bread.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 1 loaf (8-12 servings)

Ingredients

Bread:
4 large bananas mashed (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon flax meal
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk stirred from can
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 black tea bag
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon each of cardamom nutmeg, ginger, and allspice, ground anise, and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (you can sup regular flour or regular whole wheat flour
3/4 cup dairy-free white chocolate roughly chopped into small chunks, divided
Icing:
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons almond milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak the chia seeds in 2 tablespoons of water and set aside. Mash bananas in a medium bowl with a large fork. Stir in the coconut milk then whisk together sugar and open the tea bag and add its contents along with the spices, salt, vanilla, and baking powder to the bowl and mix well. Add the white chocolate (reserve about 1/3 cup white chocolate chunks for top), then add the soaked chia seeds, and stir until you have a thick batter.
Grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan lightly with oil and scrape the mixture inside and spread evenly.
Bake the bread for 45-55 minutes until the top is starting to brown then remove and cool for at least 15 minutes before icing.
Icing:
While bread is baking whisk together the ingredients for your icing until smooth, if necessary add a bit more powdered sugar or almond milk pour a thick, but still pourable consistency. When the bread is mostly cooled off, pour the icing over the top and sprinkle with the other 1/4 cup of white chocolate chunks. For a less messy option you can allow icing to dry on top or you can serve immediately with a fork while the bread is still warm.
Store in an airtight container.

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

If you're looking for more recipes check out some of my other recent posts!

1. Quinoa + Roasted Veggie Salad + Lemon Tahini Sauce
2. 4-Ingredient Chocolate & PB Cereal Bars
3. Homemade Sushi Made with Black Rice
4. Pistachio, Maple, & Almond Baklava
5. Breakfast time! Berry loaded oats