Choco-Banana Bread Bites

Nothing says back-to-school better than a lunch box filled with scrumptious homemade goodies. To ‘bakeover’ your back-to-school routine means learning how to lighten your busy schedule with delicious, convenient recipes, spend more time with family, and give your kids the best start with snacks made with some added goodness they’ll love.

Here are some simple tips to get started from the experts at Robin Hood:

The back-to-school two-step: bake and freeze – Baking allows you to freeze everything from cookies to breads, to make busy mornings a breeze. Just remember to freeze items in individual portions so you can pull out what you need anytime.

Be recipe-selective and add some goodness – A recipe like Choco-Banana Bread Bites gives you two grams of fibre per serving when made with Robin Hood Nutri Flour Blend Tastes Like White. This new blend is a combination of unbleached flour and oat hull fibre.

Making it fun means making it convenient – Baking is a terrific activity to engage the whole family – everyone has a role and can enjoy the finished product. So Robin Hood has developed a re-sealable bag using the new Grip-Lock system. It closes even with flour particles along the edges, making baking more convenient, leaving more time for fun.

Choco-Banana Bread Bites

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Baking Time: 15 minutes

Makes: about 36 cookies

Serving Size: 2 cookies

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (175 mL) Carnation Fat-Free Evaporated Milk
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) vinegar
• 1 cup (250 mL) ripe mashed bananas (2-3 medium)
• 1 banana, sliced (¼” /5 mm) and quartered (about 2/3 cup/150 mL)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 mL) Crisco Canola or Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups (625 mL) Robin Hood Nutri Flour Blend Tastes Like White
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
• 36 banana chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine evaporated milk and vinegar in a medium bowl. Stir well (mixture will thicken). Add bananas and baking soda to the evaporated milk mixture. Next, whisk egg, brown sugar, oil and vanilla in a separate large bowl. Stir in flour and baking powder. Add banana mixture and stir until mixture is well combined. Add chocolate chips if using.

Drop 2 tbsp (30mL) dough on prepared baking sheets, about 2” (5cm) apart. Place banana chip on top of each cookie. Bake in preheated oven 13 to 15 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to cooling rack. Store cookies loosely covered or in the freezer.