There’s a thing that happens when you don’t live in a tropical island. Or when you live in a place that does not carry tropical products as fresh as you wish: you either get an underripe version or an overly ripe version of the produce.

In my case, I can never buy a perfectly green plantain. They’re always a little ripe, which is simply not good enough for my taste of tostones. Tostones should never be even a little sweet. And if they are, the integrity of the texture is lost by the caramelization of the sugars in the plantain. That’s my hill and where I die is none of your business.

Naturally, I got lost in the pursuit of my wishful thinking. “If I buy these kinds of ripe but green plantains, I could make some tostones TODAY.” Unfortunately, my laziness caught on and I forgot about them, causing them to ripen. I could make sweet plantains, but I only like them when my mom makes them, and that’s something to unpack with my therapist, dear reader.

So here it is, banana bread, but make it Dominican. Sweet Plantain Bread.

A few things to note about this bread:

• It’s a little starchier than your usual banana bread: this is because plantains are lower in sugar and higher in starch
• You can swap the All-Purpose flour for Gluten Free AP to make this Gluten-Free!
• You can make this in a food processor instead of a hand beater/mixer
• The texture is moist and rich!

Sweet Plantain Bread Recipe

• 2 large overly ripe plantains
• 1/2 cup oat milk
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 9×5 loaf pan
• Parchment paper

Method

Preheat oven 380F/193C.

Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly spray or brush with coconut oil. Set aside.

Peel the plantains and give them a rough chop. Place them in a mixing bowl with all your wet ingredients: sugar, coconut oil, oat milk, vanilla. With a hand beater, beat the mixture until fluffy about 5 mins.

In a separate mixing bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Add plantain mixture and beat it with the hand mixer until fully combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and top with chopped walnuts.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.