Mini Banana Breads with Maple Glaze {Whole Grain!}

Hooray for football bi-weekends and Happy Halloween!!! I’m filled with holiday merriment as I post this today because, you guessed it, there’s no Mizzou football game today which means I get to spend an entire Saturday with my husband! And I’m super lucky because I’ve actually spent the past 2 days with him on a weekend getaway to Kansas City. We’ve packed all the fall things we wanted to experience together into 3 days, which included making these cookies while watch Netflix reruns of The Munsters, taking a coffee roasting tour, eating award-winning BBQ, exploring this park, tasting these chocolates, topping it off with our own football-watching Saturday. As far as Halloween activities go, Ryan tried hard to get me to go this haunted house, but I was not having it! Watching The Munsters is festive enough for  me, thank you very much.

So in the spirit of rest, family time, and enjoying a holiday weekend, I’m going to keep this post short and sweet! For me, there are versions of banana bread that match the different seasons. In the winter, I like to make my Double Chocolate Banana Bread. In the springtime, I like this Lime Glazed Banana Bread. In the summertime, Blueberry Banana Bread is best! And now that it’s the harvest season, I’m enjoying this Maple Banana Bread. Here’s a step-by-step video of how I make it!

I bake a lot in the fall, so it’s nice to make mini versions of things so that I can share what I’ve made with friends and then bake some more! This version of banana bread is something you can feel good about sharing and indulging in a bit because it’s whole grain, low fat, and relatively low in sweeteners. The bananas are sauteed bananas foster-style before being incorporated into the batter. This really brings out their natural sweetness and lends a caramel-like flavor to the bread, which in turn reduces the need to load the bread with sugar. It’s incredibly moist thanks to a bit of Greek yogurt, and has nutty undertones with the addition of toasted flax seeds. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

If you decide to give these Mini Maple Banana Breads a try, I’d love to hear how they turn out for you! Leave a comment below or upload a pic to Instagram or Twitter with the tag @sweetcayenne5.

Mini Banana Breads with Brown Butter Maple Glaze {Whole Grain!}

Mini Banana Breads with Brown Butter Maple Glaze are a perfect fall version of this favorite quick bread. The mini size makes them great for gift-giving!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6 -7 mini loaves

Ingredients

For the bread:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 3 large very ripe bananas, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground toasted flaxseed
• 3/4 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1-2 teaspoons milk as needed
• Special equipment:
• Cooking spray for loaf pan
• Mini loaf pan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the butter to the skillet and heat until melted. Stir the brown sugar into the butter until it dissolves. Reduce heat to medium low and add the bananas. Use a wooden spoon to mash the bananas into the butter/sugar mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a large bowl to cool.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, flaxseeds, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients evenly.
• Once the banana mixture has cooled slightly, add the maple syrup, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine until smooth.
• Stir the flour mixture into the liquid mixture until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to lightly fold in any remaining flour bits from the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl. Be careful not to over-mix!
• Divide the bread batter evenly among the wells of the loaf pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let the loaves cool for about 2 minutes. Carefully transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once the loaves are cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup to form a glaze. You want the glaze to be the thickness of honey, so add 1-2 teaspoons of milk as needed to reach the desired thickness.
• Spoon the glaze over the loaves in a zig-zag motion. Let the glaze set for about 15 minutes before serving. You can store the loaves in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 165, Total Fat 5.2g, Saturated Fat 2.9g, Sodium 325mg. Potassium 186mg, Total Carbohydrates 28.2g, Dietary Fiber 2.0g,Sugars 15.7g, Protein 3.0g

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and upload a picture of your dish to Instagram with the hashtag #sweetcayenne – it’s always so fun to connect with you!

What else should I make? If you love banana bread, check out my recipe for Double Chocolate Banana Bread – it’s only 194 calories per slice!