Description
This Cottage Cheese Banana Bread recipe is a moist, flavorful twist on classic banana bread, enriched with creamy cottage cheese for added protein and a tender crumb. Perfect for breakfast or a wholesome snack, it combines mashed bananas, cottage cheese, and warm spices baked to golden perfection in a loaf pan.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) cottage cheese
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 3 medium bananas)
- ½ cup (113 g) melted butter
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (163°C) and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, ensuring there is an overhang on two sides for easy bread removal.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, optional cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Set this mixture aside.
- Process Cottage Cheese: Place the cottage cheese into a blender or food processor. Blend until it becomes smooth and creamy, resembling yogurt or sour cream in texture. If desired, add the bananas to the processor and blend until smooth or mostly smooth with some lumps remaining. Alternatively, mash the bananas separately in a bowl.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, mix the blended cottage cheese and mashed bananas together if they were processed separately. Then whisk in the melted butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture is uniform and smooth.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined to avoid overmixing. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
- Optional Topping: Sprinkle the top of the batter with sugar or ¼ cup of chopped nuts for extra texture and flavor, if desired.
- Bake: Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.
- Cool: Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bread out of the pan. Allow the bread to cool completely at room temperature for at least one hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Ensure eggs are at room temperature for better batter consistency.
- Do not overmix the batter once the dry ingredients are added to maintain a tender crumb.
- If you don’t have parchment paper, grease the loaf pan well and lightly flour it to prevent sticking.
- You can substitute light brown sugar with coconut sugar or white sugar, depending on preference.
- Adding chopped nuts or chocolate chips to the batter can add extra flavor and texture.
- Store leftover banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
