The $3 Trader Joe’s Find I’m Never Without
Whenever I whip up this super easy Trader Joe's mix, it rarely lasts more than a day. My whole family loves it.
In the vast world of breads, banana bread falls into the fairly easy category, so whipping up a loaf isn’t that hard to do. However, my family always seems to crave it when there are zero ripe bananas in sight. So, I always keep a backup plan in my pantry right next to the empty flour jar I keep forgetting to refill.
When I say “plan,” what I really mean is a box of Trader Joe’s Banana Bread Mix. It’s honestly so good that I sometimes wonder why I even bother making it from scratch—except that smushing ripe bananas—a task my son usually beats me to—is so much more satisfying than it sounds.
Why I Love Trader Joe's Banana Bread Mix
The first time I stumbled upon this Trader Joe’s phenomenon, I was struck by two things: the delicious-looking loaf on the front of the box and the price: It’s just $2.99 for a box that makes about nine thick slices. I may have been shopping on an empty stomach, but I knew I had to give my discovery a try. This pantry find exceeded my expectations.
By the time I got home, I was in such a rush to make it that I barely read the box beyond the “add eggs, oil, and water” part. So, when it came out of the oven tasting a lot like my go-to banana bread recipe, I was kind of shocked. How did Trader Joe’s mimic the taste and texture of real bananas? I didn’t see any bananas in the mix.
Oh, how wrong I was because there are most definitely real bananas in the mix. It’s just that the Trader Joe’s product developers cleverly added them in dehydrated flake form, which makes them difficult to spot among the other hearty ingredients (think wheat flour, wheat germ, and bran) in the dry mix. Once baked, they show up in all their moist and sweet glory.
How I Make Trader Joe's Banana Bread
While it’s perfect enjoyed just as it is, it gets even better when you make it your own. In my home, we like to play around with variations, so we often add chocolate chips and walnuts, or diced mango and shredded coconut in the warmer months.
Either way, It’s a treat that vanishes within a day of making it since we like to eat it for breakfast, a midday snack, dessert… anytime, really. And I have a feeling you’re going to feel the same way.
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