Chocolate Banana Bread

You know, it seems like I always have overripe bananas.  Seriously, I guess I need to start buying 2 at a time.  However, on that same note, I wouldn't have found my new favorite banana bread recipe if I hadn't had these overripe bananas to use up.   

This bread is so stinkin good.  

My daughter is always my toughest critic in the house, and she loved it!  The bread was very moist, dense, and had a good dose of both banana and chocolate flavors.  Perfection!

My new favorite banana bread recipe!

Chocolate Banana Bread

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 large (1 1/2 cups) bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/4 cup canola oil, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350º
2. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the slightly cooled melted butter, the oil and brown sugar. Mix until smooth.
5. Add the slightly beaten egg and mix, then add the vanilla.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low until smooth. Add in 3/4 cups of chocolate chips and mix briefly.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top.
8. Bake for 60-65 minutes. Use a toothpick to determine if it's done.
9. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes after removing from the oven. Then run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan, let cool on a wire rack and then slice.

Banana and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

I know I haven't posted much lately, and here's why.  It's the New Year and of course we're trying to eat better in my house.  My husband is gluten free and I'm just sort of doing my own thing but all of us are trying to eliminate sugar from out lives.  So, sadly I haven't had much that's interesting to cook.  I mean, you probably don't need to read about me making a grilled steak or chicken but slowly I'm finding more recipes that we can all eat. 

Like this one. 

Sweetened with maple syrup (love), gluten free, and my daughter's favorite flavor combination!  We're all happy with this one. My daughter ate two right out of the oven, which she never does.  She even knew they were good for her!  I think the banana chocolate chip flavor won her over.  I also let her make these, pretty much all by herself (not the oven part) and I think that helped also (she's super picky).

I loved that these muffins stay nice and moist, yet have a great texture from the oatmeal.  I used old fashioned oats and there is a nice chew with those.  Plenty of banana flavor and chocolate chips. My favorite part about these muffins is that they are the perfect amount of sweetness, and there's no sugar in them!  This will definitely become a favorite in my house, for everyone!

Banana and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

Recipe from Organize Yourself Skinny

Ingredients

• 3 cups quick or old fashioned oats
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup (2 large) bananas, mashed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• cooking spray

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray, set aside .
3. In a medium bowl add the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt and set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, bananas, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth.
5. Add the oats into the wet ingredients and mix well, then add the coconut oil and chocolate chips and mix.
6. Fill each muffin cup with an equal amount of batter and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing to a wire cooling rack.
7. These can be frozen or refrigerated.

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Every now and then my husband and I try a new diet, or a new way of eating just to see if we like it or if it makes any difference in our general health.  Currently my husband is trying out a Gluten Free lifestyle, and therefore, so are the rest of us. 

So far it's been pretty easy because I haven't baked anything in a while anyway and pasta's are easy enough to find in any grocery store.  It wasn't until I happened to notice the banana's on the counter looking a little dark that I decided to give a gluten free banana bread a try.  I already had all the ingredients so it was easy. 

If gluten free it new to you, your grocery store might have a section already dedicated to gluten free items which makes life so much easier. 

This recipe is easy to throw together.  The bread doesn't rise much to don't expect a big loaf here.  But the flavor is very good.  It's soft, full of banana and chocolate flavor and not overly dense.  I love that the sweetness from the banana's came through so no sugar is needed.  I have to be honest, that surprised me a bit.  Sometimes you try a no sugar recipe and you can definitely tell, but not on this one. Definitely a great gluten free recipe that I'll be making again. 

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Recipe from AmbitiousKitchen

Ingredients

• 3 medium (1 1/4 cup) ripe banana's, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (diary free if needed)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray, then line with parchment paper and spray again.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the banana's, vanilla extract and almond butter and mix well.
4. Add the remaining ingredients mix until combined.
5. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle, comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 20 minutes before removing from the loaf pan.

Applesauce Honey Banana Bread

Sorry for the lousy picture...

This bread is pretty darn good, and I wanted to get it posted ASAP.  Now, before you run off all excited about a healthy version of banana bread, keep this in mind.  It's HEALTHY, so it's not going to taste like your favorite sour cream banana bread, or some of the other sugar laden banana breads you might be used to.  However, you can feel good about eating this one.

The banana flavor isn't extremely strong, but it's prominent enough that you know you're eating bananas. It's moist (sorry to those of you who hate that word), dense and wonderful.  After years of eating the other not-so-healthy varieties, I was surprised at what a nice change it was to eat something that wasn't super sweet.  I really enjoyed this bread, I even toasted it and smeared peanut butter over it for a change up (yummy).

I hope you'll give this one a try.  It's good to try new things and this one is even good for you.

Applesauce Honey Banana Bread

Recipe from Just A Pinch by Linda Bailey

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white wheat)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray
3. In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the applesauce and honey, mix to combine.
5. Add the beaten eggs and banana's and mix.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes.
8. Test for doneness with a toothpick.

One Ingredient Ice Cream

As you might already know, I'm always on the lookout for recipes to use up the one's I have sitting on my counter getting browner and browner.  My daughter thinks the brown spots are poison and therefore will not touch them.  Oh sure I can sneak it into a smoothie for her but at her age now she likes to help me make the smoothies so this trick doesn't always work.

Banana ice cream works.

I was so amazed at how creamy this is with just banana's.  I mean I had no idea it would turn out this good! I'm probably going to purposely let the banana's get brown now just so I can make this.  There are so many different flavor combinations I want to try.  I'm so excited!  Heck, it's just banana's so have it for breakfast if you want.  Ice cream for breakfast!!

I love these little tricks.  I hope you love it as much as I do.

One Ingredient Ice Cream
Recipe from OneIngredientChef

Ingredients

• 4 (or more) banana's starting to brown.

Cooking Directions

1. Peel the banana's and place into a zip lock bag, then place in the freezer.
2. Freeze overnight.
3. Remove from the freezer and cut into 1/2" chunks and place into a food processor.
4. Blend for about 60 seconds until smooth and creamy.
5. At this point you can eat it, freeze it or add other flavors.

Mint Chocolate Chip  (shown above) - add a couple of drops of peppermint extract and a handful of chocolate chips.  Blend until combined. 

Check out the website link above for a couple more flavor options. 

Banana Pudding

I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to use up overripe bananas.  You'd think I'd learn to just buy two at a time.

The the upside, I'm finding a lot of really good banana recipes.

Banana pudding seemed like the thing to make this last time.  I happened to have all the ingredients so why not?  I really didn't know that making pudding would be so easy.  I don't know why people use the box stuff now.  I'll be making mine from scratch from now on.

This recipe is easy and great tasting.  Ton's of banana flavor of course, a great way to use up bananas and a not-so-horrible-for-you dessert! And, you can make fresh whipped cream with any leftover heavy cream you have. I'm really glad I made this and I can't wait to try other pudding recipes.

Banana Pudding
Recipe from Jen's Favorite Cookies

Ingredients

• 2-3 very ripe banana's
• 1 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. Add the squished banana's and the milk and cream to a heavy saucepan. Heat until hot but not boiling and then mash the banana's into the milk mixture. 
2. In another small dish add the sugar, salt and cornstarch. Whisk together to mix. When the milk mixture is almost to the point of boiling, add the sugar mixture and mix well. 
3. In a small dish lightly beat the egg yolks.  Slowly add a little bit of the heated milk/sugar mixture to temper the eggs so they don't scramble. Add a little hot mixture while stirring the eggs.  Once the egg mixture has heated up a bit via the mixture you can add it all back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk/sugar mixture. 
4. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. 
5. Add the pudding to individual ramekins or a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool completely or it can be eaten while still slightly warm. 
6. Top with whipped cream if desired. 

Chocolate Banana Muffins

One of my daughters favorite muffins is this banana chocolate chip muffin.  I've been making them for her for years.  This muffin tastes very similar to that muffin.  That means she loved them.  They are moist and delicious with a definite banana flavor and a chocolaty finish.  The sugar on top adds a little crunch and added sweetness. 

This recipe made a perfect dozen muffins and they freeze very well.  This is another great recipe to have on hand, you can make them on a free day and then have them for those hectic mornings.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Recipe from Chef In Training

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mashed over ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 whole egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• sugar for sprinkling on top

Cooking Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350º
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the banana, oil, and egg. Mix to incorporate.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and then add to the banana mixture. Incorporate.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Either line a muffin pan with papers or grease well. Add the mixture evenly to each muffin cup and sprinkle with about 1 tsp of sugar per muffin.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Oh thank goodness it's finally Friday.  Yea!  Do you have any big plans? 

Well, I do. Busy weekend ahead. 

My daughter just turned 6!  I know!  I can't believe it either.  Well, her party is scheduled for this weekend and I feel like I'm not prepared for it.  She threw me a curve ball when she said she didn't want cake or cupcakes for her party.  So, we're having an ice cream social instead.  Oh, did I forget to mention that she wants me to decorate sugar cookies? Do you want to guess how she wants me to decorate them? 

Nope, keep guessing. 

OK, I'll tell you.  Peacock….

What 6 year old chooses peacock for her theme I ask you!!

Well, I'll post some pictures but you all know that decorating is not my strong suit.  Wish me luck. 

Now on to today's recipe.  As usual I had banana's ripening on my counter, beyond the ripeness that you want to actually eat.  I didn't have some of the ingredients for my usual banana bread but I did have them all for this recipe.  I have to tell you.  I'm really thrilled with how it turned out.  Let's overlook the fact that I didn't exactly get the "swirl" in the middle of the bread.  It's more toward the upper 1/4 of the bread, oh well, it still tasted great. 

Its easy and you should have all these ingredients right in your pantry.  It's also nice that it just makes one loaf.  The cinnamon sugar gives the top a nice little crunch of sweetness.  Definitely a keeper. 

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Recipe from Maybe Matilda

Bread

• 3 overripe banana's, mashed
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• dash of salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Swirl

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Glaze

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray
3. In a large bowl, mix the banana's, butter, both sugars, egg and vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
5. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture, just until combined. Do not over mix.
6. In a small bowl mix the swirl ingredients together.
7. Pour half the batter into the prepared dish, sprinkle 2/3's of the swirl mixture evenly over the top, pour the remaining batter over that and then top with the rest of the swirl mixture.
8. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. When completely cool, combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the top.

Banana-Blueberry Muffins

I'm in the middle of a month long vegan attempt.  I say attempt because I'm not very good at being a vegan but so far I've been doing pretty well.  I'm also happy to say that I have had some nice weight loss and that has made it easier to continue. 

One thing I've enjoyed in the mornings are muffins.  I made some blueberry muffins early on and then I made these and I love them.  The thing about vegan recipes is that sometimes they can turn out try.  I've been lucky and both muffin recipes I made were totally moist and delicious.  This recipe is dense and full of flavor.  I think adding the dish of water to the oven while cooking really works. 

You're going to love this muffin regardless of whether you're watching your diet or not.  Moist, and full of flavor.  What more could you want? 

Banana-Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from examiner.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of cinnamon
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (defrosted and rinsed)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325º
2. Place an oven safe dish of water in the cold oven, about 2 inches of water.
3. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake papers, 12 total.
4. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
5. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the bananas, sugar, oil and vanilla.
6. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little at a time until combined.
7. Stir in the blueberries by hand so they won't break as much.
8. Fill each cupcake paper with equal amounts of batter and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness using a toothpick in the center, when it comes out clean they are done.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

You know how when you're looking for recipes on the internet you find a bunch that are marked "this is the best recipe out there" and so you try it because obviously if it's on the internet it must be true? Well that happens to me all the time. 

Except...

This time....

It was true!

I'm totally in love with this recipe.  I say that gingerly because I don't consider myself a banana bread connoisseur, it's always just something I make when my banana's are going to go bad and I'm desperate to use them up.  I've still managed to try several banana bread recipes and they've always been about the same for me.  Good, but nothing too exciting.  

Here are the reasons I love this recipe.

• Very moist, and it stays that way even after several days. 
• Freezes very well. 
• I love the idea of coating the pans with cinnamon sugar, it gives a nice crunch around the edges. 
• The banana flavor is awesome but the sour cream really adds something. 
• My favorite part of the bread is the texture, moist, dense, absolutely perfect. 
• It makes three full sized loaves or four smaller loaves, check the link below for the smaller sized loaf instructions. 

Don't begin to think that just because this is banana bread that this is a healthy recipe.  it's not. 218 calories per slice, but so worth it.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 6 very ripe banana's, mashed
• 1 (16 oz) container sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325º
2. Spray three 8.5x4 with non-stick spray, then coat each with the 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon that has been combined in a smaller dish. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar and butter and beat until it resembles a wet sand. Add the eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon and mix until combined and smooth.
4. Add the salt, baking soda and flour and mix until well combined. Add the walnuts if desired.
5. Fill each loaf pan with 1/3 of the mixture and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm always running into the problem of banana's getting too ripe on my counter.  If I only buy 3 or 4 they are gone so fast I think I'll buy more next time, then I buy more and they sit uneaten until I get panicky and go in search of a new banana recipe.

Welcome to my daughters newest favorite muffin, she loves these things. In fact she's even had one as part of her dinner.  I don't feel bad about giving her one because it does have healthy ingredients even though I know she's only eating them for the chocolate chips.

The muffins have a nice banana flavor without being too banana-y.  The chocolate chips are definitely the biggest flavor but that can easily be controlled either by how many you add or the type of chip you use.  I used semi-sweet chocolate chips but I think these would be excellent with any flavor chip or even toffee chips.

They stayed moist for several days in a zip lock bag, in fact my daughter had them all eaten before we noticed any changes in taste. 

 Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 medium or 1 1/2 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray or line a muffin tin. (I used one regular sized 12 cup muffin tin and 8 mini muffins)
3. Mix the butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
4. Add the mashed banana, egg and vanilla and mix well.
5. Add the milk and mix well.
6. Add the remaining dry ingredients EXCEPT the chocolate chips.
7. When the dry ingredients have been added and mixed well you can add in the chocolate chips.
8. Use a cookie scoop or two Tablespoons to dollop the mix into the regular sized muffin cups, fill them full and mounded on top. Same with the mini muffin tins.
9. Bake the regular sized muffins for between 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. For mini muffins cook for about 15-20 minutes.
11. Let cool on a cooling rack slightly before serving.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

You've heard me talking about how picky my daughter is right? Guess what, she loved this bread.  In fact she ate practically the whole loaf by herself. Do I sound amazed? Because I am.
It probably had a lot to do with the fact that there were chocolate chips in it.  I'm still counting this as a win because it filled up her little tummy and I didn't have to beg her to eat it.

Is it health food? Nope. But it's not junk food either.  You could certainly make this without the chocolate chips like the original recipe.  In the original recipe it had some yogurt in the ingredient list and I just didn't have any, and I didn't want to run out and buy any so I just left it out.  I'm not sure how much better it could have been with that because it was pretty good this way.  This bread has a lot of flavors going on, you can taste the banana, you can taste the peanut butter and you can certainly taste the chocolate but none of the flavors are so overpowering that you notice.  The bread was nice and moist and it stayed that way for many days after I made it, at which time it was gone anyway.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Modified slightly from Joy the Baker

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax-seed
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan, set aside.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the bananas, peanut butter, melted butter, eggs, and both sugar's. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl add both flours, flax-seed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice and mix thoroughly.
5. With the blender on low add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix just until all the flour is incorporated.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let cool in the pan for about 5 to 10 minutes before removing from the dish and placing on a cooling rack.

Banoffe "Danger" Pie

There's something you should know.  I have a whole bunch of recipes that I made months ago and haven't had a change to post yet.  I'm eating healthier these days but I am certainly fond of the recipes I have in my draft folder, like this one.  

This is another Pinterest find and if you're a banana lover this one can't be beat.  If you're both a banana lover AND a caramel lover it will send you right over the edge.  In addition to making this fantastic pie you will also learn the art of making caramel in a can.  Everyone should know how to make caramel in a can, perfect for those a little timid of making caramel the old fashioned way. 

Make a simple graham cracker crust or just go buy one already made. 

Slather the banana's in the delicious caramel you made in a can. 

Top with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings.

 So simple and easy.

Maybe not the prettiest pie when put onto a plate but delicious none the less.

Banoffee "Danger" Pie

Recipe from Brooklyn Limestone

Ingredients

• 3 banana's
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 package graham crackers
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 small piece of chocolate (optional for garnish)

Cooking Directions

1. The "toffee" portion of this recipe will need to be made about 3 hours before the rest of the pie. Take the label off the can of sweetened condensed milk. Place the unopened can in a large pot of water that goes well beyond the top of the can. Bring the water to a boil and keep boiling for 2 1/2 hours. Make sure the water is always well above the top of the can. After 2 1/2 hours, let cool. This portion of the recipe can be done way ahead of time, even up to a month ahead of time.
2. Use a food processor (or put the crackers in a zip lock bag and smash em) to grind up the graham crackers, then melt the butter and stir into the crumbs so they are all wet. Press the crumbs into a pie plate.
3. Slice the banana's into the bottom of the pie on top of the graham cracker crust.
4. Top the banana's with the toffee mixture and spread over them so they are fully covered.
5. To make the whipped cream, pour the cold heavy whipping cream into the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar and mix on high until the cream is holding it's shape. Then spread over the top of the toffee.
6. Grate a small piece of chocolate over the top of the whipped cream and refrigerate at least two hours.

Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Bites

Things are heating up in the South.

I think I've mentioned how we didn't get much of a winter.  I'm not bitter about it.  Wait, yes I am.  I like winter.  I want snow and sweaters and roaring fires.  Yes, you're right I should probably move out of the South but I like it here too.  Usually we'll get at least one good snowfall a year and that holds me over.  Not this year.  Boy I get on a tangent easily don't I?

I usually have some hot weather treats in my freezer like ice cream and pop cycles, but I'm trying to find some treats that are a little more diet friendly.  We've all had frozen chocolate covered banana's before so I'm sure this is not new to you.  The only difference is that these are bite sized and you only need two ingredients. 

I bag of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips.

Four bananas, cut into bite sized pieces.

Walla.  Delicious.  Pretty darn healthy - hello, dark chocolate is good for you!

Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Bites

4 bananas
1 bag Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips

Cut up the banana's into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Line a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with wax paper.

In a double boiler, heat the bag of chocolate chips over simmering water. Stir often and remove from the heat when the chocolate is all melted and smooth.  Do not over heat!

Dip each banana in the chocolate and cover completely.  Place on the wax paper.  When all the banana bites are covered and on the wax paper, put the cookie sheet into the freezer for about an hour. Remove the pieces and place in a freezer safe plastic storage bag.

Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

As usual I found myself staring at 6 banana's that were a little too far beyond the yellow color that I usually like.  I think I've mentioned before that I seem to always be buying banana's at the grocery store but then they just sit on the counter.  I'll eat one and my husband might eat one but that's usually it.  Unless I'm making smoothies or banana bread there they sit.

Summer has officially arrived here in the south (about a month early) so ice cream seemed like a safe bet.  There was only one problem, my daughter doesn't like banana's.  She does like chocolate however so that's why I decided to make this a chocolate chip variety.  It worked.  She loves it.  I also shared some with her daycare and those kids loved it too so I'd say we have a winner on our hands.

I doubled the recipe and it turned out just great.

When my dad was visiting one time he made a wonderful stove top banana dessert that had all of the ingredients you see above.  The only difference was that he cooked just cut the banana in half first and mine are cut in little pieces.  He also cooked his in a frying pan on the stove and these are baked.  But still, same idea.

Makes your house smell really good.

After the oven.  The butter and brown sugar have made a yummy sauce.

Pour the banana mixture into your blender and add the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Puree until nice and smooth.

Pour this mixture into a bowl with a  cover and refrigerate overnight.

Now just pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions.  Add the chocolate chips at the end. Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

modified slightly from "Brown Eyed Baker" found here

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled 
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted), cut into small pieces
1½ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips


Pretheat the oven to 400 degrees. 


Cut up the banana's in small pieces and place them into a heat proof dish.  Add the brown sugar and butter and bake for 40 minutes stirring once halfway through. 


Pour the mixture (hot is fine) into a blender and add the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt.  Puree the mixture until smooth.  Pour the mixture into a dish with a cover and refrigerate overnight. 


Pour the cold mixture into your ice cream maker (stir a little if it seems thick).  Follow the manufacturers instructions.  Add the chocolate chips the last 5 minutes of processing or just stir them in at the end.  Freeze. 

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Why do I constantly have banana's on my counter that are overripe?  Why do I keep buying banana's if my family can't eat them fast enough.  My freezer if packed full of banana's and yet here I am buying more. I'll never learn. 

Lucky for me my family does enjoy and quickly eats things made out of bananas.  Like smoothies, breads and muffins so these didn't last long.  Plus, freezing muffins is a great trick.  I'm not sure why some people think you can't freeze them but you certainly can.  I just throw mine is a freezer bag and when I need one I pull it out and pop it in the microwave for about 45 seconds to a minute.  Saves time on busy weekday mornings.

I went online looking for a banana muffin of some sort and was happy when I found this one for a couple of reasons.  The addition of both peanut butter and chocolate chips.  I really can't think of any reason this recipe wouldn't work out with that line up.  I also loved how it has oatmeal in it.  I'm a fan of oatmeal anything and especially loved that fact that these added a little nutrition on the sly. The flavors were wonderful in my opinion.  Not too much of any one flavor but you can taste the banana, peanut butter and chocolate chips all at once.  So delish!  I brought some to my daughters daycare and all the kids loved them. Yay me!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Found on "Dinners, Dishes and Desserts" here

1 cup flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup banana, mashed (about 2 bananas)
1 egg
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare your muffin pan by either using cupcake papers or by spraying the muffin cups liberally with cooking spray.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and then mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl.  Combine them and mix just until combined.

Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full and bake for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for a few minutes before putting on a cooling wrack.

Makes about 16 muffins.

Banana Bread Snack Cake

This recipe was the winner for me for three reasons.

1. I had three banana's on my counter that were starting to look.....less than appealing.

2. I only had one egg.

3. I love banana bread.

It was fate that I just happened to be reading the newest recipe from one of the websites I follow and saw this recipe.  I was meant to be.

I'm sure I'm one of about a million people who love banana bread, so I was super excited to see this variation of it in a snack cake form.  I sometimes have trouble getting through an entire loaf of banana bread when my husband is out of town (yes I could cut it in half and freeze it but I don't think of logical things when I'm surrounded by banana bread) so this cake seemed much more doable for my daughter and I. 

I loved how moist this cake stayed even after a couple of days in the refrigerator.  My husband got home just in time to claim the last couple of pieces and he topped them with whipped cream.  Of course he's been known to dip an entire banana in whipped cream and eat it as a snack, but I digress. 

I loved this recipe and will make it again!

The recipe can be found on "How Sweet It Is" here.

Banana Bread Snack Cake
1 egg
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 mashed ripe banana's, about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup flour (I used all-purpose but the original calls for whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl add the egg and brown sugar and mix well.  Add the vanilla and banana's and mix until combined.  Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until combined.  Drizzle in the butter and combine well.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the center does not jiggle anymore and the edges are golden brown.  Let cool before cutting.

The original recipe had a cream cheese glaze that looked amazing!  I didn't have any cream cheese or I would have made it for sure.  Check out the website linked above for the glaze.

Puffed Oven Pancake with Brown Sugar-Banana Sauce

I have to be honest.  I'm not much of a breakfast person.  That is to say; I don't really like breakfast food for breakfast, I like dinner food for breakfast and breakfast food for dinner.  I know, I'm a mess.

I thought that this baked pancake looked really good and really easy to make on a lazy morning one weekend.  I found the recipe in my "Better Homes and Garden" Holiday Book.  It's not exactly diet food.  Well it might not be so bad if it wasn't covered in banana's that were cooked in sugar and butter. But it also wouldn't be nearly as good!

I love how the edges of this bake up around the pan and form a nice ring.  The pancake itself is pretty thin so it's funny that they even call it a pancake at all.  It's not the fluffy type that we're all used to.  This is a great change up to traditional pancakes and super easy.  Great for breakfast if you've got guests or even if you're just feeling like something different.

Mix up the batter and pour it into a hot oven proof skillet or pan.  You want to put some butter in the pan and then put it in the oven to melt before pouring the batter into it.

This is how it looks right out of the oven.

To make the topping, melt some butter and add brown sugar. 

Add the banana's and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Soon you'll get a wonderful thick sauce.  Add the Rum or juice and let cook for another minute or so.

Pour this banana sauce over a slice of pancake and serve right away.  You can top with some powdered sugar if desired.

Baked Pancake:

2 Tbsp butter
4 eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 medium bananas, sliced
2 Tbsp light rum or apple juice (I used juice)
Powdered sugar or whipped cream (optional)


Preheat oven to 400.

In a large oven safe skillet or heavy metal baking pan, put 2 Tbsp butter and place in the oven until melted.  About 3-5 minutes.

While the butter is melting, in a medium bowl whisk the eggs.  Add the flour, milk and salt.  Beat until smooth.  Take the hot pan from the oven and pour the batter into it.  Place the pan back into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and brown.

Make the banana sauce when ready to serve the pancake.  Begin by melting 1/2 cup of butter in a fry pan, add the brown sugar and cook over medium heat.  Add the sliced banana's and cooked about 2 minutes.  Carefully stir in the Rum or juice.  If adding rum, add it off of the stove and then add it back to the heat to avoid flare ups. Cook for a minute more.

Serve the pancake with the banana sauce hot from the stove.  You can garnish with powdered sugar and/or whipped cream if desired.