Banana Bread with Crunchy Streusel Topping

Over the weekend, a gal named Irene came to NYC. You've heard of her right? She was supposed to come in and swoop us off our feet, but for us she was all bark and no bite. Don't get me wrong, there was massive flooding throughout the city and some houses were wrecked, but our apartment was fine. I did manage to find a leak in the kitchen window we need to get fixed. I'm actually not sure if the crack was a result of the earthquake or not, since I've never noticed a leak before.

Well, since we weren't able to go out, I decided to bake. I had 6 ripe bananas, and no room in the freezer, so banana bread it was! I've made banana bread before, but it was a while ago. It only called for 3 bananas, so I found this one in the BHG Cookbook. I love this cookbook, and I should use it more often. It's a great all around cookbook.

I omitted the walnuts in this recipe, since I didn't have it on hand, but if you have them, I would put it in. I probably won't next time either, because after I finished baking, Gary told me that he doesn't like nuts in his bread. Who knew! You would think that after 10 years together, I would have known something like that! I also replaced some white sugar with brown sugar, and reduced the overall amount by 1/4 cup. It was perfect for me, but Gary thought it could be sweeter.

I love that I was able to whip this up without bring out the stand mixer. Overall, this stayed moist and delicious even after a few days. I stored it in a plastic ziptop bag, but the streusel ended up soggy. If you know how to keep it and keep the crunchy top, let me know!

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Banana Bread with Crunchy Streusel Topping
adapted from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook 14th Edition

ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP cold butter (I used Earth Balance coconut spread)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9x5 pan.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg). Make a well in the middle of the bowl for the wet ingredients and set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk 2 eggs, then add wet ingredients (banana through oil) and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir well until just incorporated. Batter will be lumpy. Pour batter into prepared pan.

To make the streusel, combine the brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

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Banana Pancakes

After watching the blueberry pancake throw down on Food Network this past week, I had a craving for pancakes. The norm would be blueberry pancakes, but I didn’t have any blueberries. I looked for a buttermilk pancake recipe that would strike my interest. I saw these banana pancakes that were just too adorable to pass up.

I had everything on hand, except for the buttermilk, so I used a mix of soymilk plus 1 tsp vinegar to equal 1 cup of buttermilk. I also halved the original recipe to feed 2 adults. While I thought the amount was sufficient and enough for 2, Gary thought otherwise. He thought it was enough to feed 2 kids.

Banana Pancakes
adapted from: Baking Bites
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 cups all purpose flour
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (I used a mix of soymilk plus 1 TBSP vinegar)
1/2 a banana, mashed

directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Whisk in eggs, buttermilk and mashed banana until batter just comes together and no large streaks of flour remain. If your batter is too thick (different sized bananas will cause the batter to vary in thickness), or you prefer your pancakes to be on the thinner side, add an extra 1/4 cup of milk or buttermilk into the mix to thin it slightly.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until a drop of water placed on it skitters around the surface. If it instantly evaporates, turn down the temperature slightly.

Ladle batter by 1/4 cupfuls for large pancakes onto the preheated pan and cook until golden on both sides, turning once. Flip when the top has started to bubble.

Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Makes approx. 8 pancakes, serves 1-2

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

Every so often, I get a hold of some ripe bananas from work. I take them home, and in turn, I bring something yummy to work. I search my reader for something that used bananas, and I found this recipe on Cara’s Cravings.

This recipe turned out great. I reduced the amount of sugar in both the streusel and the cake. I can’t imagine using the full amount of sugar in this! I also substituted with plain yogurt instead of using buttermilk. The cake came out moist and super chocolaty. I had rave reviews from my coworkers.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel
Adapted from: Cara’s Cravings, originally from epicurious.com

Ingredients:
For the streusel:
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces) 
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons buttermilk (I used plain yogurt)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. (I just sprayed with oil)

Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well.

Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

Since Gary is now trying to be dairy free, one of the things he misses most of course is ice cream! He found a decadent non-dairy ice cream from Whole Foods that he loved. The downside? Over $5 for a pint! That’s just crazy. I’ve seen many recipes for ice cream out there, so I thought it was time for me to invest in something that would help us save money in the long run…

My new Cuisinart ice cream maker!! SO, for my first recipe I made Peanut Butter Banana ice cream, and it was pretty good. I chose this because I had all the ingredients on hand and didn’t require the thickener other non dairy ice creams needed.

While it was spinning, both Gary and I were watching it spin and work its magic. I walked away and did other stuff and expected Gary to still be there when I got back. He wasn’t there watching anymore, but he did admit he was watching it spin for a little while.

Dairy drinkers can definitely use whole milk and it would be great!

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Source: A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
2 cups non-dairy milk or creamer (for a real treat, use coconut milk!) (I used unsweetened rice milk)
½ cups brown sugar
½ - ¾ cups peanut butter (depending on how much you love peanut butter)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Peel bananas and place in a blender. (I used my food processor because that’s what was on my counter). Add non-dairy milk/creamer and puree.

2. Transfer the liquid to a medium-sized sauce pan. Over medium heat, dissolve the brown sugar and peanut butter into the liquid. It will be really thick and creamy at the end!

3. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

4. Set the ice cream mixture aside to cool. It will get really thick when it’s refrigerated. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Dessert Crepes with Fruit and Nutella

Happy World Nutella Day!

Today’s entry is a tribute to the wonderful chocolaty goodness that is Nutella! This year, the celebrations are being hosted by Ms Adventures in Italy, Bleeding Espresso, and World Nutella Day. Check out the sites for other fabulous recipes using Nutella!

Strawberry Banana Crepes with Nutella
Source: All Recipes
Makes about 8-10 crepes.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
strawberries
banana
powdered sugar 
whipped topping (optional)

Directions:
1. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and salt until smooth.

2. Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil applied with a brush or paper towel. (I sprayed with a little bit of cooking spray). Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. (I used half of a scoop of a ice cream scoop). Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

3. Thinly slice 4 slices of banana and 1 strawberry per crepe. Assemble with the slices of banana then strawberry. Spoon the nutella into a small zip top bag, cut a small hole in the corner and pipe the nutella on top of the fruit. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

4. Fold the sides of the crepe together and top with whipped topping.

 

Banana Spice Cookies

Adapted from: Taste of Home Magazine - Best of Cookies and Bars
Made by: Cathy

I was able to get my hands on a bunch of very ripe bananas. They were from work, so the right thing to do was to bring something to work using those bananas.

I received the Taste of Home cooking magazine as part of my holiday gift from my gift exchange. One of the recipes used bananas. It looked pretty interesting, so I tried it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs and bananas; mix well.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins. Cover and refrigerate until dough is easier to handle (dough will be very soft).
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 3 dozen.

I didn't refrigerate my dough. I think I missed that part somehow. I used a medium cookie scoop to make even sized cookies. The size is a bit bigger than a tablespoon. I was still able to get 42 cookies with the scoop. I also ended up baking for around 14 minutes instead of the 8-10 minutes the recipe actually called for.

I wasn't too crazy about the flavor. The recipe said spice cookies, but I didn't really taste any spice. It was more like a banana bread in cookie form.

I brought this to work, and apparently, they love it. I don't know if I will try it again. If I do, I will definitely add more flavor to it.

Banana Cake with Spiced Rum Glaze

Adapted from: The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
Made by: Cathy

This is the dessert I made for our anniversary dinner. We never saved our wedding cake to eat on our anniversary. The thought of eating freezer burned year old cake just doesn't seem appetizing to me.

This is a really good cake. It's moist and flavorful.

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1-3/4 cups packed brown sugar
10 tablespoons butter, softened
3 eggs
3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt (I used plain fat free yogurt)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I inadvertently used only 1 teaspoon)

Glaze:
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum or 1/4 teaspoon imitation rum extract (I used Captain Morgan Spiced Rum)
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine banana, yogurt, and vanilla. Set aside.
3. Beat brown sugar and butter at medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating until well-blended.
4. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
5. Pour batter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack.


For the Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar, rum, and melted butter; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Note: When using rum extract add 2 tablespoons skim milk to glaze.


I brought some leftovers to work and got rave reviews. I'll try adding the correct amount of vanilla next time to see how the flavor varies.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Adapted from: Kitchen Confit
Made by: Cathy

After my disaster with the pumpkin banana bread last weekend, I wasn't ready to give up. I still wanted bread, whether it were banana or pumpkin, I didn't care.

I had 2 ripe bananas, so I made banana bread.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (original reciped used 3 bananas, I only had 2 on hand)
2 eggs beaten
1 t. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup milk
pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (I used chocolate chips)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter and flour a loaf pan.

2.Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in one bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Add in the mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla. Add in the flour mixture. Add in the milk as well as the nutmeg, cinnamon and nuts it needed.

3.Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then remove from pan and let fully cool on a rack.

To freeze - double wrap the loaf in aluminum foil and place in a zip lock plastic bag.


I baked for about 1 hr 20 min. and it was a bit overdone on the edges. It was probably done at 1 hr 10 min. It tasted good, but next time I will add the third banana for a better banana flavor.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from: Clumbsy Cookie
Made by: Cathy

I had 1 ripe banana, and I didn't know what to do with it. I searched "banana" in my google reader, and most of the recipes called for multiple bananas. I saw Clumbsy Cookie's Banana Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies and thought I should try it. On my way home, I was thinking about what else I can pair with the banana. I was thinking nutella, but the recipe already called for chocolate chips. I thought that would be overkill. So I thought, PEANUT BUTTER! The original recipe did have a modification of peanut butter chips, I didn't have that, but I did have plenty of peanut butter.


Ingredients:
8 tbsp butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick), softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 banana, sliced
15 teaspoons peanut butter (give or take)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla.
4. Mix in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop mounds of dough to the cookie sheet. Using the back of the scoop, make a dent in the top for the banana slice.
6. Place a slice of banana, then place about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on top of the banana slice.


7. Scoop another dough ball, flatten and mound on top. You should have a big dough ball now.


8. Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown.


Makes approximately 15 giant cookies.

These were so good. I couldn't resist and ate one right out of the oven.

ooey gooey banana peanut buttery goodness :)

Banana Crumb Muffins

Adapted from: All Recipes
Made by: Cathy



Ingredients:
For the muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the crumb topping: (optional)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
3. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. In another bowl, beat together bananas, applesauce, sugar, and egg.
5. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Using and ice cream scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin cups and fill 3/4 full.
6. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle heaping teaspoonfuls of the topping over muffins.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins. These were so easy and so yummy.