7 Creative Ways to Cook or Bake With Brown Bananas

Chia pudding, banana "nice cream," and banana-nut pancakes are just a few of the scrumptious brown-banana recipes at your disposal.

Rebecca Clyde; Chelsey Amer; Kaleigh McMordie

KONTAK PERKASA FUTURES - What to do when the bunch of bananas you bought turns brown? Fortunately, those overripe bananas are super useful in recipes — and some concoctions will turn out even tastier, because brown bananas contain more sugar than their greener counterparts.
As a recipe developer myself, I love figuring out new ways to use them. You can find a few of my ideas on my website, like my Mango Banana Almond Overnight Oats and my Matcha Green Tea Energy Muffins!

KONTAK PERKASA FUTURES - But why exactly do bananas turn brown? Technically, they’re spoiling: The acids in the fruit have softened, and the over-ripe bananas become sweeter and mushier. No matter the color, bananas are full of nutrients, including blood-pressure-helping potassium and satiating fiber.

Ready to use those brown bananas? Here are a bunch of dietitian-approved recipes to get you started! And if you’re reading this article and only have green or yellow bananas in your kitchen, here’s a trick to get them to brown faster: Place the bananas in a brown paper bag to trap ethylene gas inside the bag and speed along the ripening process.

1. Mix Brown Bananas Into Oatmeal and Add Chocolate

Photo Courtesy of Jessica Cording

Use ripe bananas to sweeten an overnight oats recipe. Or combine them with zucchini, unsweetened cocoa powder, and oats for a delicious oatmeal-based bread. “This Chocolate Zucchini Bread Oatmeal is one of my favorite oatmeal recipes because the sweetness from the ripe banana and the richness from the cocoa allow you to sneak in some veggies,” says Jessica Cording, RD, who is in private practice in New York City.
Get the recipe at Jessica Cording Nutrition.

2. Make Banana Muffins With Coconut and Yogurt

Photo Courtesy of Michelle Pederson

Combine ripe bananas with banana yogurt and coconut for Banana Coconut Mini Muffins, suggests Devin Alexander, a celebrity chef and the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever in Manhattan Beach, California. “These muffins curb your craving for sweets without overdoing it,” notes Alexander.
Get the recipe from Devin Alexander.

3. Microwave a Cinnamon Roll and Add Banana

Photo Courtesy of Erin Palinski-Wade

Who says cinnamon rolls have to be hundreds of calories and take forever to make? This Skinny Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting from Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, a dietitian in Franklin, New Jersey, and the author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies, “packs in all the flavor of those cinnamon rolls at the mall with a quarter of the calories,” says Palinski-Wade. “The addition of the banana and dates boosts the fiber and antioxidant content, while reducing the need for added sugar.”
Get the recipe from Erin Palinski-Wade.

4. Make Sweet Banana Cookies With Oats and Walnuts

Photo Courtesy of Tina Rupp

For this treat, you’ll swap sugar for bananas. “The ripe bananas add sweetness so you don’t have to use sugar,” explains Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, who is in private practice in Chicago and is the author of The Superfood Swap. She recommends her easy 3-Ingredient Banana Bread Cookies, which also feature nutrient-rich oats and walnuts.
Get the recipe from Dawn Jackson Blatner.

5. Have Bananas for Breakfast (in Cookies!)

Photo Courtesy of Marisa Moore

Or make a three-ingredient cookie recipe with peanut butter from Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, who is in private practice in Atlanta.
Get the recipe at Marisa Moore Nutrition.

6. Serve Up Some Quick Microwave PB and Banana Cookies

Photo Courtesy of the Nutrition Twins

Want a recipe with a little more sweetness? This 5-Ingredient Microwave Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie from Lyssie Lakatos RDN, and Tammy Lakatos Shames, RDN, dietitians in private practice and personal trainers in New York City, features chocolate chips as well as brown bananas.
Get the recipe from the Nutrition Twins.

7. Blend Brown Bananas and Sweet Potato Into a Refreshing Smoothie

Photo Courtesy of Bonnie Taub-Dix

Frozen brown bananas are game changers for smoothies because their sweetness erases the need for added sugar and their coldness means you don’t have to use ice. Try this Sweet Potato Smoothie from Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, who’s in private practice in Woodmere, New York, and is the author of Read It Before You Eat It. Bonus: “This recipe is a good source of calcium, derived from the almond milk and Greek yogurt,” Taub-Dix says. Freeze your bananas a few hours before you need ‘em: Just peel, slice, and stick in a zip-top freezer bag.

Source : everydayhealth.com