Christmas Spiced Banana Bread (Blood-Sugar Friendly)

This Christmas Spiced Banana Bread is soft, moist, naturally sweet, and filled with warm, festive spices. It’s a healthier choice than classic buns and muffins — made without refined sugar, using almond flour for added protein and healthy fats, and oat flour for slow, steady energy release. Perfect for cozy winter mornings, holiday gatherings, or a nourishing dessert that feels comforting without causing sharp blood sugar spikes.

This recipe is created for those who love sweet treats but want to enjoy them in a smarter, more balanced way. It focuses on more nourishing ingredients, gentler sweeteners, and mindful combinations that help reduce the impact of sugar on the body — proving that desserts like this can be delicious, satisfying, and still supportive of overall well-being.

Why This Banana Bread Is Healthier

• No refined sugar – naturally sweetened with bananas and your choice of natural syrup. I prefer Jerusalem artichoke syrup
• Blood-sugar friendly – almond flour adds valuable protein and healthy fats, which help slow down glucose absorption. Protein and fats play an important role in supporting more stable blood sugar levels, increasing satiety, and reducing rapid energy spikes and crashes after sweet foods.
• Balanced energy – carbohydrates + protein + fats for stable energy
• Anti-inflammatory spices – ginger, cinnamon, and cloves support digestion and metabolism

Serving Ideas

• With Greek yogurt, coconut yogurt, and ice cream
• Spread with your favorite nut butter
• Lightly toast with a pinch of cinnamon

Storage

• Room temperature: up to 3 days, wrapped well
• Refrigerator: 4–5 days in an airtight container
• Freezer: up to 3 months (slice before freezing for easy portions)

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas (about 300 g) + 1 for decoration
• 150 g almond flour (about 1½ cups)
• 100 g oat flour (about 1 cup)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 60 ml Jerusalem artichoke syrup, runny honey, maple syrup, or other natural liquid sweetener
• 1 orange -> 1 tsp or 1 tbsp zest from orange (adjust the taste)

Christmas spices:

• Ground cinnamon – 2 tsp
• Ground ginger – 1 tsp
• Ground cardamom – ½ tsp
• Ground nutmeg – ¼ tsp
• Ground cloves – ½ tsp

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (356 °F). Line or lightly grease a loaf tin (approx. 22 cm).
2. In a large bowl, add eggs and syrup. Whisk until fully combined.
3. Add bananas and mash with a fork. You can leave some small banana chunks if you like — they melt while baking and add extra natural sweetness and a creamy texture to the bread.
4. In a separate bowl, mix almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and all spices.
5. Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture until combined.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf tin and smooth the top.
7. Slice one banana lengthwise and gently press it into the batter. You can also add cranberries and a few orange slices on top for extra festive flavor.
8. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
9. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The approximate nutritional value for 1 banana bread slice (10 slices in total):

• Calories: ~ 200 kcal
• Protein: ~ 7 g
• Fat: ~ 10 g
• Carbohydrates: ~ 23 g of which sugars: ~ 12–14 g (naturally occurring from bananas + syrup)
• Fiber: 4-5 g

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