Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread, whole grain, fruit sweetened

My hubby loves chocolate whether it is, candy, cookies, or ice cream! Usually, he prefers ice cream in the evenings, and with our current busy schedules to be honest I let the baking go...Since I had not baked something for him in a while, I baked up this loaf of Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread.

In the beginning, it was challenging to develop my baking skills using whole grain flour in my recipes, but it also turned out to be a lot of fun. Once I became comfortable converting my tried and true recipes to whole grain, it was time to develop some new favorites! And this Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread is delicious. It is like a fruit and nut brownie, in a quick bread!

I love the convenience of a loaf of quick bread or a loaf cake. They slice up neatly and are so easy to pack in a lunch or as a take-along to enjoy with coffee at break time. They can be as simple as you want, like a loaf of banana bread, or a bit more involved like this loaf!

Needless to say, not only did he love this bread, but I have been told that I ~~can~~ should make this Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread again. Pretty good really, since this is a whole grain loaf, with no refined sugars! So, if you are looking for a whole-grain dessert/snack quick bread, I hope you give this delicious loaf a try. You will notice in the photos below I made two loaves of this bread, one with cherries and one without, they were both enjoyed to the last crumb...

Note: like all quick bread recipes, this one slices best after wrapping well and stored overnight.

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

whole wheat flour
dry cocoa
salt
baking soda
bananas
dates
eggs
oil
honey
vanilla
dried cherries
pecans

You will also need the following:

wire mesh strainer
mixing bowl
food processor
measuring spoons
measuring cups
loaf pan
silicone spatula
parchment paper
lidded storage container or freezer bag

Now we are ready to begin!

Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread

Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread
by the seat of my pants
350-degree oven

2 c whole wheat flour, we use pastry grind
1/4 dry cocoa
1 1/4 t salt
1 t baking soda

2 large or 3 small bananas
2 c whole pitted dates
2 eggs
1/3 c oil
1/3 c honey

1/4 c water
1 T vanilla

1 c chopped dried cherries - if desired
1 c chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine and mix well the flour, cocoa, salt, and soda. Set aside.

You may want to sift your cocoa powder.

In the bowl of a food processor add the dates, bananas, oil, and eggs. Begin processing, remove the center of the feed tube, add the honey. Process until smooth, mixture will be thick.

Pour the date mixture over the flour mixture, add water and vanilla.

Combine well leaving no dry pockets and mix until the mixture is smooth.

Stir in cherries and if using the pecans.

Pour into a 9X5 prepared loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees 45-55 minutes or until done in your oven.

Remove from oven, let rest in the pans, 10 minutes.

Turn out to cool completely.

When cool wrap in parchment paper, and place in a covered container or freezer storage bag, store 24 hours before serving.

Storage options for Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread. Feel free to store at room temperature for up to two days. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator after the second day. To freeze, wrap securely in waxed paper and then a freezer bag or storage container with a lid. Freeze up to 3 months.

UPDATE: For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Fruit and Nut Brownie Bread has been included below.