Jennifer's Week Forty Recipe: Banana Crumb Muffins

I am on pace again! Hooray!

So, I bought some bananas over the weekend with the hope that Erik and Chad would munch on them. They didn't touch them. Sigh. And when I bought them, they were quite yellow and now they have many brown spots. Well, I was not going to throw away 6 bananas. So, I used 3 of them for the following recipe. I may make banana bread with the other 3. I have not decided what to do with them yet.

Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted (I used oil)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with paper cups.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, egg, sugar and butter/oil. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in 1 Tbsp butter until it resembles course cornmeal. Sprinkle over the top of the muffins.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 10-12 muffins. (I got 12)

Would I make them again? Well, I think I have an idea of what to make with the other 3 bananas. More muffins!

UPDATE: I made these muffins again and added cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg right into the muffins and they were even tastier. I have no idea how much of each, I just shook out/grated until it looked OK to me!

Chris's Week Thirteen Recipe: Raw Ice Cream

No, I am not turning into a raw foodie. I saw this recipe on The Happy Herbivore's vegan blog and I couldn't get it out of my head. Maybe it's because I gave up sweets for Lent. Maybe it's because, after a long cold winter, my body is missing some essential vitamins. In any event, I gave this a try today and it was fun!

Raw Ice Cream

Peel, separate into chunks, and freeze

2 very ripe medium-sized bananas

Put the bananas in your food processor or blender and add

1/4 c unsweetened Almond Breeze (or your favorite non-dairy drink of choice)

1/4 t vanilla extract

1/4 t cinnamon

Blend until smooth. (I left a few chunks just for fun, and because I was getting hungry!)

Would I make this recipe again? Yes, ma'am! It's perfect if you're tired of making banana bread with your over-ripe bananas. It's also very good if, like me, you don't really want to buy a full container of ice cream. Oh, and did I mention it's practically fat-free and has no added sugar?

Jennifer's Week Ten Recipe - Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

For as often as I bake, it is surprising to me that this is only my second dessert. As far as Chad and Erik are concerned, I hit the jackpot with this one.

Recipe is from allrecipes.com and can be found here.


Banana Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

4 ripe bananas, mashed

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1 cup chopped pecans


Pour le glaçage:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Grease and flour a fluted tube pan.
2. Beat 1 cup of butter, shortening, 2 cups of brown sugar, and 1 cup of white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the bananas, followed by the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with the last egg. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the pecans; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Heat 1/2 cup of butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugars have dissolved, then gently simmer for 1 minute. Pour over baked cake while still in the pan. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Other than the cake not being dense enough to truly be called a pound cake, it is more dense than a regular cake and very moist. Chad said things like "You are not allowed to to make banana bread anymore, you need to make this," "I would kill a man for this." He also referred to it as ambrosia and I think he told Erik that he could not have a second piece because that meant there would be less for him to eat. Oh, "Curse you, woman, for making this" was also said. He said that while eating his second piece which was 3 times the size of the piece I had served him. So, yeah, I think I will be making this again.