Banana Purses

A few nights ago my grandmother came for dinner.  It wasn’t really a planned evening and so I hadn’t any dessert in mind for after dinner.  But you (read: I) can’t have someone over for dinner and not serve them dessert.  Fortunately, I had all the makings for this little ditty already in the pantry and fridge and in a matter of a half hour dessert was served.  Unfortunately, sans Crème Glacee.

 

 

 

Banana Purses

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 package puff pastry (2 sheets)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray foil with cooking spray.
2. Mix bananas and maple syrup in a small bowl.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon.
3. Working on a clean surface roll out a puff pastry sheet and cut in half lengthwise.  Using a rolling pin, roll each half into a 15x5 rectangle.  Cut each rectangle into three pieces. You should have twelve pieces when done.
4. Evenly distribute the banana mixture onto the twelve pieces.  Fold the corners up and pinch to close in the center.  Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Transfer to prepared cooking sheet.
5. Bake 15 minutes and serve warm.

These would probably be even better with ice cream. 

Maybe next time.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I have been buying a lot of bananas lately. Being that we have toddlers in the house and that we are runners we go through bananas before they are ever ripe enough to be truly warranted for a good quick bread or other baked goods. Buying more bananas than I think we need has only increased the number of banana sundae’s the spouse eats or uses for smoothies. So I started buying even more. Finally, I had three black and mushy (read: beautiful) bananas to use for a recipe. At first I was going to make more Banana Bread Cookie’s, but then I decided I wanted to try out something new. Something with a bit of chocolate in it. Chocolate Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips seemed like just the thing.

I was a bit nervous about this bread to be honest. The last few things I have made with cocoa haven’t turned out so hot. They have actually been quite bad. So bad in fact, that I haven’t even posted about the recipes because they were so bad that there was little more that needed to be said. I was so skeptical of this bread and the changes I made in the original recipe, that I kept convincing myself it was a failure before it was cool enough to try.

I had a small bite the night I made it when I snapped this picture. It was fine, not bad. However, the next day when I was whipping up some appetizers for a book group I snuck another piece. It was quite good. So I snuck another. Before I knew it I had snuck four pieces with a sizable amount of the loaf gone, making it seem a lot less sneaky and a lot more noticeable. I couldn’t help it. It’s that good.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa

1/2 cup light sour cream

2/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease one 9x5 load pan.
2. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, bananas, and vanilla; mix well. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa. Beat in sour cream. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. remove from pan and cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Seven days just not enough days to try out all of the amazing muffin recipes out there. I ended up baking over eleven muffin recipes but a few were just not fit to post because they only turned out so-so and who really wants to bother with baking something that is only so-so? However, these muffins, with tons of banana and chocolate, were a big hit with toddlers and adults alike and could easily be breakfast or a snack. The recipe makes 18 regular size muffins but I made 24 mini muffins (the kids preferred these) and 6 regular muffins.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 canola oil

1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mashed bananas (or 3 medium)

3/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray muffin pans.
2. Wisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In seperate bowl combine egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla and bananas. Stir in dry ingredients until incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 minutes in preheated oven. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I am finding that what makes a good muffin a great muffin is the topping. And I am finding that the same basic five ingredients or so makes a wonderful topping. These muffins are good, but the topping makes these muffins…well, disappear.

I was going to freeze some of these muffins but they just didn’t make it long enough for the freezer test.

Banana Crumb Muffin

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3 bananas ripe and mashed

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1-2 tbsp. butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners.
2. In large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk and set aside.
3. In separate bowl, mix bananas, sugars, oil, egg and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until just combined.
4. In small bowl combine topping ingredients, cutting butter into dry ingredients until a crumble forms. Spoon batter into tins and sprinkle with crumb topping.
5. Bake in preheated oven 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack and enjoy.

Good For You Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I realize that I have sort of gone off tangent, I mean originally this blog was to be all things cookie but I realized too late and yet all too quickly after undergoing this project that I just like more things than cookies. For example, this week I had gotten it in my head to do all things muffins but then I went and caught a bug someplace and have been like a zombie for half the week. I am on my way to recovering but alas this week is half way over so maybe next week.

But I did manage to make these cookies. I started with a recipe out of the Taste of Home Cookbook and decided to add a few spices and make it a 'good for you' cookie. The result was 4 dozen cookies that adults and kids alike could enjoy without worrying about the waistline. Not too much anyways.

These cookies were definitely more of the cake-like variety than the chewy variety but if you're looking for flavorful and healthy dare I recommend you look no further.

Good For You Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup applesauce (I use Mott's unsweetened)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup eggbeaters (or 2 large eggs)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 mashed bananas (the riper, the better)

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 *F. Grease cookie sheets with Baker's Joy or your choice of cooking spray.

2.) Cream applesauce, butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggbeaters and vanilla. In separate bowl combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Slowly add to creamed mixture. Stir in bananas, oats, chips, and walnuts.

3.) Bake on greased cookie sheets 10 minutes. Remove immediately to wire racks to cool.

Yields 4 dozen cookies approximately.

Banana 'N Cream Cake

How good is this cake? Let me count the ways-I mean slices.
So first there was that slice at a little before midnight last night when it was fresh out of the oven and freshly dusted with Confectioner's sugar.

Then there were the three slices for breakfast this morning. I gave the kids leftover Nutty Pancakes but coulnd't pass up fresh banana baked goods for myself, greedy I know.

Then there were the three slice post-Olive Garden lunch where I didn't even splurge on Tirmisu because I knew there was moist cake at home on the counter.

Then there were the two slices the kids and I snacked on after nap.

Then there were the twelve slices I cut up, wrapped in threes and stuck in the freezer for a later date knowing that this cake would be the death of me if I didn't wisen up.

Not there are about five slices left, for breakfast in the morning. That is if I can resist it that long.

Doubtful.

Bananas 'N Cream Bundt Cake

Ingredients:
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (3)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla. Add bananas and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, stirring just until combined. Stir in walnuts. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool 10 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pineapple Banana Birthday Loaf

Tuesday morning I got up with every intention of celebrating my children’s second birthday with pancakes or waffles or something else that falls in the extravagant category when compared to a handful of cereal and a cup of milk. Unfortunately, they woke up too early to let me get a head start and were ready for cereal before I was ready to sift flour so I decided then and there that I would create a recipe just for them incorporating things I know they love, bananas, pineapple and bread.

I make, shall I dare to say, too much quick bread around here, and I have a basic knowledge of what goes in them so I sat down and jotted down some ideas for a tropical themed bread and worked out a recipe to try. As I was putting the bread together I made a few changes as I saw the batter form and having now tried it I think I would make one more change but overall I thought this bread was a huge success. The children, who got to try it following their lunch, loved it. They each had two slices for lunch and then again for breakfast the next morning. By Thursday the two loaves the batter had made were all gone.

Pineapple Banana Birthday Loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup Fat Free Buttermilk

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup applesauce

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1 cup coconut

4 bananas (very, very ripe and mashed)

1 overflowing cup of walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans generously.

2. Combine flours, soda, salt, cinnamon. Set aside.

3. Combine sugars, applesauce and oil using an electric mixer. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, bananas, pineapple and juice.

4. Combine flour mixture with wet ingredients by hand. Add coconut and walnuts.

5. Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake 55-60 minutes rotating halfway through.

One thing I decided in making this bread was to mix applesauce and oil. Since having a baby four months ago I have been making small changes to my baking. Applesauce has been the biggest change and I implore you to give it a try in your next quick bread recipe. Sometimes I substitute all the oil for applesauce and other times just some of the oil. With this recipe I decided to add applesauce and oil to equal 1 1/3 cup. First I added this:

My applesauce of choice, Mott's No Sugar Added All Natural applesauce. I have this stuff stashed throughout my pantry. I added a little more than 2/3 applesauce and then poured oil in to equal 1 1/3 cups.
I then creamed the wet ingredients; Buttermilk, eggs, sugars, applesauce, oil, vanilla and my secret ingredient, pineapple juice and bananas with my electric mixer. In a separate bowl I combined the flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Not wanting to over mix I combined the wet and dry ingredients by hand. I have learned that a dense quick bread is the result of overmixing so I try and be very gentle with my breads.

Ah, yum, coconut. To think there was once a day when I refused the stuff.
This bread was made with a half a cup of crushed pinapple and a half a cup of pineapple juice. I think the next time I make this bread I will reduce the juice to a quarter of a cup. The flavor wasn't that strong and I think it would make for a little less moist of a bread.
I like to heavily grease my pans. I hate when things stick.
So with the oven preheated, the pans greased and the wet and dry ingredients combined I added the coconut and a lot (1 overflowing cup) of walnuts to the batter.I baked the loaves for 25 minutes and then rotated them and baked them for another 30 minutes. I cut into one of them right away (it was after lunch and wanted the children to be able to try it before nap) and I think this was a mistake. The second loaf wasn't cut until the next morning and it tasted not so moist and quite delicious. Needless to say both loaves were gone in two days.

Banana Bread Cookie

For Christmas this year I received several cookbooks, mostly written by Alton Brown, but a few others including "The Cookie Bible". With over 400 cookie recipes in it I began to wonder who really makes all of these cookies? Thing is though I've met several cookies I didn't particularly care for, I've never met a cookie I wouldn't at least try. I decided then and there that I was going to start giving more cookie recipes a shot, as I can think of only a handful of things better than a cookie (Cherry Coke, Powdered Donuts, Waterstone Hummus).

I was going to wait for the New Year, and a cleaner house, to begin my cookie experimenting when I happened upon these, glaring at me on the kitchen counter.

Any other day I would have thrown together a simple Banana Bread but two things were stopping me. First, I seem to fail whenever I attempt Banana Bread. I get most quick breads like Zucchini and Pumpkin but I have never found that perfect Banana bread recipe that never fails. My nana bread is always just so-so. Secondly, I had just the day before been thinking about my love of cookies and my new willingness to try more recipes.

Without any more thought I decided to attempt a banana recipe without cookbooks or prior experience. The result? A most delectable treat.

These cookies have a very surprising resemblance to Banana Bread so to shake things up a bit and to interest the kids in them, I topped them, quite heavily I should add, with confectioners sugar.

It worked, the kids each ate three and were asking for more, but being only a few hours before dinner I cut them off.

Today the cookies are a tad bit soft, not quite soggy but I think in the future I will freeze whatever won't be eaten right away.

Banana Bread Cookie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup salted butter

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 bananas, peeled and mashed

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour (or all purpose)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup Walnuts

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets with cooking spray.

2.) In medium bowl cream shortening, butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, vanilla and bananas.

3.) Combine flours, baking soda, and salt. Blead with creamed mixture. Add walnuts.

4.) Drop by rounded tablespoons on cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 9 1/2-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.