banana chocolate chip spelt square

Made with spelt our, these tasty bars are incredibly moist and delicious. Spelt flour is not gluten-free, rather, it’s an ancient, nutty-tasting wheat that offers high fiber and iron. It’s great in small bakes like muffins and scones. This recipe is from one of my two baking bibles — King Arthur's Flour Whole Grain Baking (the other is King Arthur’s Baking Book). Mind you, with this recipe, King Arthur recommends letting the bars sit covered overnight for best texture, but I'd like to meet someone who actually has the will power to make these bars and then let them sit untouched for that long! We waited a whole hour before digging in and the texture was outstanding. 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 c brown sugar 

• 3 very ripe bananas (about 1 c mashed) 

• 1 T lemon juice 

• 1 t vanilla extract 3/4 t baking powder

• 1/2 t salt 

• 2 t cinnamon 

• 1/4 t nutmeg 

• 1 large egg 

• 1 3/4 c whole spelt flour

• 1 c chocolate chips 

• 1 c walnuts or other nuts 

Cream the butter and brown sugar together. 

Add the bananas, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and mix well. 

Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg, and spelt our and beat until combined.

Pour into a greased 9x13-inch pan. 

Allow to rest for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 350º F.

Sprinkle the batter with the chocolate and nuts. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes; the squares will still be moist but not liquid in the centre. 

For the best texture, allow to cool and rest overnight before cutting into squares.

(Makes 24 squares)