Sweet Bourbon Plantains {Recipe Redux}

Ripe plantains baked in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut oil, and bourbon until caramelized and glazed. Serve a la mode or by themselves!

This recipe was originally published for my first participation in the Recipe Redux challenge.  

“As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians. The Recipe ReDux is focused on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you. Dietitians Regan Jones (ofReganMillerJones, Inc.), Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly (both of Teaspoon Communications) founded the group on the belief that healthier eating should always taste delicious. As the Latin term “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, we are reinventing the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach. We aim to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover.” 

Sadly, the Recipe Redux challenge will be retired this month on its 8th birthday!  I thought it was only fitting that I update the first recipe I ever posted for the challenge. 

A Spirited ReDux

“From plain Jane vanilla extract to fancy-pants elderflower liqueur, we like to keep a little liquor in the kitchen. Show us how you like to cook, bake, or mix-it-up with spirits, extracts, and other alcohols. A splash of vodka makes summer sauces shine – and liqueurs brighten desserts: What’s your healthy recipe with spirit?”

And for fun, here was one of my original photographs.

As demonstrated by the photo above, I’ve come a long way as a blogger, not only in my photography but also in my recipe development and writing.  I owe a lot of that too the connections I made with the Recipe Redux bloggers who were always sharing tips and resources. 

I had a lot of fun participating in the challenges and will miss the monthly themes! The rest of this post is the original text updated with a few recipe tweaks.  

I got the idea for this recipe when we ate in Santa Cruz over the Fourth of July weekend.  A deep fried plantain came with my delicious meal.  First of all, I cook with extracts all the time, but I’ve never cooked with alcohol, so like usual, I wanted to challenge myself.

Second, there are not enough dessert recipes here at Hungry Hobby. Third, I needed to recreate those plantains because they were delicious!  The idea for sweet bourbon plantains popped into my head, and the rest is history!

Let’s talk about plantains for a minute, shall we?  Have you ever heard of them?  According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “they are a member of the banana family (shocker I know) but contain more starch and less sugar than a banana.

Plantains are typically found in the Caribbean and West African dishes and are usually baked or fried.”  I found them at Sprouts, but I’ve also seen them at Whole Foods and Safeway as well.

Start by preheating your oven to 450F.  While it’s heating add the coconut oil to your cast iron skillet, cover with foil, and place it in the oven while it finishes preheating.

Then slice up some super ripe (soft and almost brown) plantains.

Add your plantains to the hot oil and top with sugar, cinnamon, bourbon, and vanilla.  Cover with foil and place in the oven.  

At 10 minutes, take them out and toss them, before baking for an additional 15 minutes covered.  

Use a spoon to baste the liquid over the plantains.  Serve by themselves or a la mode!

Check out other “last recipe redux” posts from my Dietitian and healthy living blogger friends:

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5 from 3 votes

Sweet Bourbon Plantains {Recipe Redux}

Ripe plantains baked in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut oil, and bourbon until caramelized and glazed. Serve a la mode or by themselves!

Course: Treat, Treats

Cuisine: carribbeans, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo

Keyword: plantains, sweet plantains, treats

Servings: 6

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Kelli Shallal MPH RD

Equipment

• Cast Iron Pan
• Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe large plantains
• 2 ounces Jim Bean or other Bourbon
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450F.
• Add 1/4 cup coconut oil to cast iron skillet, cover with foil, and place in oven while it's preheating.
• Slice plantains into 1 inch pieces and place in skillet with hot oil, evenly top them with the rest of the ingredients. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 10 minutes, toss and bake for an additional 15 minutes covered.
• Serve a la mode or by themselves!

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1010IU | Vitamin C: 16.5mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Tried this recipe?I'd love to see what you made! Tag me @hungryhobbyRD or tag #hungryhobby if you try this recipe!

Breakfast Plantain Bake

Have you ever had plantains?  What’s your favorite way to cook with them?

What’s your favorite way to use extracts or alcohol in your cooking?