Suitable from 7+ months and Perfect for BLW (baby led weaning)
We absolutely love making banana bread in our house, it's a great healthy alternative to cake, and really easy to make - you can even get the kids involved with the preparation. These banana bread bites are the perfect size for little treats and they're a great option for younger children as they contain only a small amount of added natural sugar.
Banana bread reminds me of days spent in lockdown - remember when the whole world went mad for it and all of the supermarket shelves were bare of flour?! Luckily this is no longer a problem, so just nip down to your local shop to stock up on ingredients!
I sweeten these banana bread bites with just a tablespoon of maple syrup, but if you want zero added natural sugar then you can leave the maple syrup out. There is no official guidance from the NHS on how much sugar babies should have per day, just to avoid sugary snacks and drinks. Therefore, even though maple syrup is a natural sugar for very young babies from 6+ months, keep it to 1 tbsp of maple syrup or leave it out completely (I personally fee comfortable serving these to my baby every now and then).
I use very ripe bananas to make this banana bread batter (honestly the riper the better!), they're naturally more sweet and they are also easier to mash and incorporate into the mixture.
You can use this recipe method to make traditional banana bread using a loaf tin if you wish and cut it into slices or finger shapes. I think these banana bread bites are a great size for younger children and babies, they're also great for batch cooking and easy to freeze in their individual portion sizes.
I use banana a lot in my recipes for many reasons, it's such a versatile ingredient and a healthy way to sweeten recipes for babies and toddlers. If you like the look of these banana bread bites then try out some of these recipes made with bananas:
Blueberry and Banana Pancakes
Makes 12 Banana Bread Bites
Banana Bread Bites
Ingredients
2 very ripe bananas
175g plain flour
50g unsalted butter
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp maple syrup
A dash of milk (50 ml)
Method
Preheat oven to 200c
Use a fork to mash the 1 and 1/2 of the bananas then add the egg, butter, milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and use a whisk to combine all of the wet ingredients together
Add the bicarbonate of soda and the flour and whisk again until it becomes a gloopy mixture
Spoon the mixture into silicon muffin mould as I have, or into a lined and greased loaf tin
Use a sharp knife to slice the other half of a banana into thin pieces and pop them on top of the bites (of the loaf)
Bake the bites in the oven for 22 minutes, if you are making traditional banana bread in the loaf tin then bake for 30 minutes
Allow to cool before serving