Loaded Banana Bread

My dear, sweet Benny (2 years old) is really into bananas.  

His love of bananas runs deep.Yet, the depth of said love lasts only 

about 3 bites per banana and then he refuses to touch the half eaten 

banana again. And we must start over with another whole banana. 

Lordy. 

I, being the practical 'thou shall not waste a perfectly

 good half of banana' mama that I am, 

started storing the remaining bananas in a container in the 

refrigerator and decided it was high time I create a go to banana recipe. 

So Benny, keep up the good work, I could eat this goodness all year long!

This recipe will yield 2 large loaf pans of outrageous 

quick bread or ~32 large scoop muffins. 

What you need:

1 cup of butter (soft)

4 eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

With an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) blend the above ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 tsp baking soda 

Place dry ingredients in a sifter

5 ripe bananas (peel and mush finely with a fork) yields ~2 cups

1 cup finely chopped raw pecans

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (+ additional 1 cup for topping)

 Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three heats.  

That way the wet dry integrates very well.  I always hand

mix at this point, as to not over mix.

Fold in the banana

 Fold in the pecans, coconut and chocolate chips

Use a large scoop if you are going the muffin route, otherwise 

coconut oil two large loaf pans.

For muffins I am borderline obsessed with parchment muffin

liners.  They do not stick to the muffins, like the fluted cups

sometimes do and they look so dang cute, which is obvy 

important!  I buy them in big bunches on the internet.

here's a little picture from an old post.  After coating

the pan with coconut oil, cut a piece of parchment paper

for each pan, allowing a bit higher up the sides, so after

baking you can run a knife along the two shorts sides

of the pan, then use the parchment like handles to lift the 

bread out, and transfer it to a cooling rack.  

Top with a good sprinkle of coconut 

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes if baking muffins and I would

guess at least one hour to one hour and 15 minutes for 

the loaf pans.  Make sure you do the toothpick check!!

Although them to cool a bit and then get your gobble on!!

 Benny Approved!!

Enjoy!

xo

Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee Pretzel Bites

 

Daaaang, that's a mouthful of a title...and by mouthful I mean you are literally going to want to stuff your mouth full of these tasty bite size morsels!  Side note: aren't they extra scrumptious, nesting in the cutie vintage bowl that once belonged to my grandma?!? Love!

Create a double boiler by placing a couple inches of water in a
saucepan and topthe pan with a glass or stainless bowl. 
Over medium heat slowly melt the chocolate 

(equal parts Ghiradelli bittersweet and semi-sweet is my winning combo)

Once the chocolate is completely melted, set up an assembly line.

On the counter set up mini pretzels, the bowl of melted 

chocolate on a towel (you might have to pop the bowl back over 

heat for a minute, to loosen it back up) and plates of toffee bits 

and raw almonds.

Line baking sheets with parchment.

Dip the pretzel in the chocolate, shaking off excess.  Then set on the toffee,

place an almond on the chocolate (where it will stay put, once the chocolate sets).

 Use your fingers to toss a bit of toffee on the remaining chocolate 

(toffee will be sticking to the bottom as well...the more the merrier!)

Place dipped and candied pretzels on a parchment

lined baking sheet to set up.  It will only take about

an hour for the chocolate to fully set.  Good luck 

waiting that long!

Place set candies in a dish or better yet package up to share with

friends, teachers, neighbors, etc.  This would be a delicious addition

to a cookie exchange, in my humble opinion.

Enjoy!  So easy!

xo.

Toffee Pretzel Crunch. Oh My!

I was making care packages this week to send off and deliver locally

as several friends needing the TLC of homemade treats.

I was thinking how tasty it would be to dip pretzel rods in toffee, but

then at a little Oprah light bulb moment and decided on this...

you can thank me later.

What you need to make this ridiculous treat:

3 1/2-4 cups Pretzel Crisps

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Line a large jelly roll pan* with aluminum foil, and then thinly coat the foil

with butter (I just gently rub one of the sticks used in the recipe along the 

foiled surfaces. You will not use much) then place a layer of Pretzel Crisps 

along the bottom of the buttered pan.  I break up some of the crisps. Don't 

worry if the crisps are overlapping. 

* a jelly roll pan is smaller than a sheet pan, but larger than a 9x13 pan.

 In a saucepan over medium/high heat, begin melting the butter, brown sugar and salt.

 This is one pot you want to watch boil.  Continue stirring as the sauce boils 

and thickens.  Watch that it doesn't burn.  I stir at boil for a couple minutes.

Pour the boiling sauce evenly over the pretzel crisps.  

Place pan in a 425 degree oven.

The sauce will thicken in the oven. After 4 minutes I pulled the bubbling concoction 

out of the oven.  Check at 4 minutes. If it isn't super bubbly and darker in color, 

put it back in for 1 additional minute.

 Immediately sprinkle the semi sweet chocolate chips evenly 

over the toffee pretzels. 

The heat of the pan will quickly melt the chocolate chips.  If you

find that they aren't melting, pop the pan back into the cooling oven for 

1 minute and the chocolate will be ready to spread with a knife.

After the chocolate chips are evenly spread across the top of the toffee,

pop the pan in the freezer to set up for 30 minutes.

 After setting in the freezer, I pull the brick of toffee from the foil,

double checking that all foil pulled away, then use my hands to 

break into chunks.  I store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

It packages up nicely, in boxes, to drop with friends and neighbors.

I buy bulk food safe boxes on the Internet.

Enjoy!!!

Cookie Tip: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossoms

It is written in the holiday handbook that cookie giving season cannot commence without the ubiquitous Peanut Butter Blossom cookies in the line up.  I think it's on page 7, if you need to see for yourself.

After Hershey introduced the dark chocolate Kisses, I didn't think these little cookie gems could get any better...until today!

Check out this little addition that seriously makes these cookies a bit more outrageous!

Make your favorite dough, according to recipe, then when it comes

time for the final pre-baking step (rolling dough balls in granulated sugar), switch it up

ever so slightly for ridiculous results!

Mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 T fine grain sea salt and roll the dough balls.

 Continue baking and dark chocolate Kisses adorning, according to recipe.

The tiny bit of sea salt makes every sugary bite of cookie all the more scrumptious!!!

We made these for Logan's preschool teacher...

we'll see how many make it to the classroom tomorrow!

At least it is going to be a lovely day tomorrow, so we will walk to school (and thankfully we live uphill from school). I pretty sure I will have 27 cookies to walk off by morning!