Toasted Coconut Banana Bread

I've been trying to find the perfect, classic banana bread recipe, and I have not had any luck with that yet, however....during my search, I found this delicious alternative.  Coconut and banana are just so amazing together, am I right?  The combo reminds me of summer: drinking pina-coladas....just so refreshing!  This bread is also not too sweet, and has just the right amount of banana flavor.  In this recipe, your classic banana bread jumps up to a whole new level. Finely shredded coconut adds a sweet crunch to this moist, flavorful treat.  I recommend it plain, but I highly recommend it with these loaded up variations: served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream/whipped cream and/or chocolate chips, with coffee for breakfast, chilled in the refrigerator, or toasted with cream cheese frosting and/or nutella and/or peanut butter.

Yield: 1 loaf (about 10-12 servings)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs, at room temperature
1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas (2 large or 3 medium bananas)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flaked coconut, toasted

Instructions:

Grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center. In a medium mixing bowl combine beaten eggs, mashed bananas, oil, milk, and vanilla; mix well. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just till combined. (The batter should be lumpy.) Fold in toasted coconut.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Serve warm, at room temperature, and/or chilled.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Do those pictures look yummy or what?  Well, the pictures are nothing compared to the taste of this heavenly banana cake.  My friend and I made this a few days ago for a party at school, and it turned out fabulous!  A ton of people tried it, and everyone was "mmmm"ing like crazy and telling me how delicious it was.  I had never made banana cake before - just banana bread - but I'm definitely gonna make it again soon.  This cake was unique because it was cooked at a very low temperature of 275 degrees (as opposed to the usual 350) and then after it was cooked, it was immediately put into --- get this --- the freezer.  Weird, right?? The reason for this is so that the cake cooks evenly in the oven, with a soft outer crust and tender interior. Also, to prevent it from cooking any more when you pull it out, it's put directly into the freezer...making the result extremely soft, fluffy, and incredibly moist.  Putting it in the freezer also allowed it to be frosted and ready to be eaten in no time;  My friend and I were eating our first slice just two hours after stepping into the kitchen. And it looked absolutely beautiful with the cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of chopped nuts!  Perfect for any occasion.  I can't wait to make more banana cakes in the future.  With this perfect cake base, the flavors you could combine with it are endless...chocolate chip, peanut butter, nutella, peanut butter and nutella, chocolate marble, peanut butter chip, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chip, caramel/praline, strawberry, coconut...I could go on forever.  Try this recipe...you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 1/8 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium)
•  
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
4. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake.  Sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired.

Bananas Foster French Toast

I made this this morning for breakfast and it was SO delicious!  It's very sweet though...just how I like it(:  I actually made this with left over hamburger buns that we had in the pantry, but any white bread would be fine.  Challah bread always works the best for french toast because it absorbs the egg-milk mixture so well.  I absolutely love bananas foster...and I love converting dessert into breakfast...so why not make bananas foster french toast?  The bananas get all caramelized and brown sugar-molassesy and taste absolutely amazing.  The maple syrup compliments the bananas and brown sugar really well too.  And the nuts give it a satisfying crunch and boost of flavor.   This was barely on my plate a minute...I ate it so fast.  I wouldn't change anything about this dish; it's just so perfect. 

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 8 slices of thick, white bread
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 3 ripe bananas, halved crosswise and lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a shallow dish, whisk together eggs, cream, and cinnamon. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Dip 4 bread slices in egg mixture to coat both sides. Using a fork, remove slices from egg mixture, letting excess mixture drip off. Place bread slices in hot skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and bread. Set aside and keep warm.

In a large skillet, combine corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup and pecans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add banana halves and vanilla extract. Coat with the syrup mixture, and simmer 1 minute. Spoon over French toast. Serve immediately.

Vanilla Pudding Pie in a Nilla Wafer Crust

  

 

A few days ago, I realized we had a bunch of Nilla Wafers in the pantry, and they were gonna expire soon, so I decided to use them up by making a crust for a pie out of them.  I absolutely love Nilla Wafers...they're one of my favorite snacks...especially in banana pudding.  So I knew that a crust would taste amazing made out of them.  We also had some vanilla pudding mix in the pantry, so I figured: Why not?  I made the pudding as directed, added some banana slices,  poured it into the pie crust, topped it with some whipped cream, and Wah-La!  I had created an incredibly easy, but oh-so-very-yummy pie.  I do have one confession: I do not think this is as quite as good as my banana cream pie (here), simply because the vanilla pudding in that recipe is home made, and I love that sugar cookie crust even more than this Nilla Wafer one.  But this recipe is much easier and quicker to make and I think the crust is very unique and a fantastic way to use up left over Nilla Wafers.  Even though it's not quite as good as my banana cream pie, it's still insanely good!!  I highly recommend both.


Ingredients:
1.5 cups nilla wafer crumbs (about 40 cookies)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
4-5 medium bananas (optional)
1 package vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cup milk
1 tub cool whip, thawed
Garnish: banana slices, Nilla Wafer crumbs, Nilla wafer cookies (optional)


Instructions: 
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cookie crumbs, white sugar, and melted butter.  Pat into the bottom of a pie pan, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned.  Cool completely.
2.  Line cooled crust with banana slices - enough to completely cover the pie - if desired.  Beat pudding mix with milk for about 2-3 minutes, or until thick. Pour over cooled crust and/or banana slices.  Top with desired amount of thawed cool whip.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Cinnamon Pear Smoothie

Woops...it was so good that I drank all of it before I had a chance to get a picture.


This was such a refreshing, tasty smoothie!!  All the flavors [blend so well together], and each one really comes through; I couldn't believe how perfect it turned out.   I've always loved the combination of cinnamon and pears; toss in a banana, some milk and a few other things and you've got a delightful breakfast drink.


Yield: 2 servings


Ingredients:

• 2 pears, quartered and cores removed
• 1 banana, cut in chunks, and frozen
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Place the pears, banana, milk, yogurt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a blender. Cover, and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses to serve.

Easiest Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Banana Pudding

This is seriously way too easy.  It's ten times better than any banana pudding I've ever had, and it's by far the quickest and simplest to make.  The secret ingredient for this creamy and luscious dessert is overly ripe bananas. Just whizz up some frozen bananas with peanut butter and cocoa powder.  That's all there is to it.  Feel free to add other toppings as well...I often add nutella and/or whipped cream. You can even freeze the pudding for an hour and enjoy it like ice cream. Yum! 


Yield: About 2-4 servings


Ingredients:
2 medium, very ripe bananas, peeled and sliced (the riper the better!)
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons cocoa powder  (and/or nutella)


Instructions:
1. Place the banana slices on a plate lined with parchment paper.  Freeze for about 2 hours.
2.  In a food processor, combine frozen bananas, peanut butter, and cocoa powder.  Process until thick and smooth. Serve immediately.

Mashed Banana Toast/Sandwiches

Do you mash or slice your bananas???


I would guess you have probably been slicing them your whole life.  Well, here's something new to try: MASH 'EM! All it does it make it creamy.  It's literally like creating your own banana spread.  Especially if the banana is really ripe...mashing a ripe banana will make it taste way better than a greenish banana (since ripe bananas have more sugar). Did you know that they sell banana peanut butter?  I don't understand why would anyone buy that when you can just make it yourself.  Anyways...instead of your usual peanut butter and sliced banana toast/sandwiches that I'm sure you've been doing for as long as you can remember, just mash the banana!  You can mix other spreads in with the banana if you want to change it up even more.  


Mashed Banana Toast/Sandwich:


Ingredients:
1 slice of bread, toasted   (or 2 for a sandwich)
1/2 to 1 ripe banana (depending how big it is)




Instructions:
Mash the banana as chunky or creamy as you'd like.  Spread mashed banana on hot toast.


***Add a slice of bread on top to make a sandwich if you prefer.  Toasting is optional. 


Variations:  Mix into mashed banana mixture before spreading on top of bread...

• peanut butter
• nutella
• honey
• melted chocolate chips (flavor of your choice)
• cocoa powder
• cinnamon
• blueberries
• almond butter (or other nut butter of your choice)
• chopped or sliced strawberries
• crushed Nilla Wafers
• toffee bits
• coconut flakes
• dash of vanilla extract
• brown sugar (this is very sweet..but delicious)
• chopped nuts of your choice
• grape nuts (or other cereal of your choice.  Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch is really good too)
• caramel sauce
• whipped cream
• chocolate sauce/syrup
• pudding
• maple syrup
• jelly 
• yogurt

Melted chocolate chips & banana:

Peanut Butter, Cinnamon, and Banana:

Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chunks:

Mashed Banana and Nutella Sandwich:

Almond Butter and Banana:

Spread it on graham crackers!

Banana Nut Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I recently took a cooking class called "The Art of Cupcakes," by Chef Wynton Mann (you can check out his site at www.wyntonsworld.com), and it was so much fun!  We made five different types of incredibly delicious cupcakes: these, pumpkin cupcakes with maple and ginger buttercream frosting, chocolate cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone cream cheese-filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, honey pear cupcakes with white chocolate and pistachio buttercream frosting, and vanilla coffee cupcakes with tiramisu filling and coffee buttercream frosting.  I know you're probably drooling right now just reading over that. Imagine actually biting into them.  They were all sooo good...not one of them was even close to forgettable.  And none of the recipes are available online, so I guess you'll just have to make them all from my blog(:

Yield: 12 cupcakes


Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten


For the Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Garnish:
Pecans or walnuts

Banana Pancakes

Did you know that heavily speckled bananas have nearly three times the amount of fructose (the sweetest of the sugars in fruit) than less spotty bananas? Therefore, if you have a black banana, do NOT throw it away!! Bake with it!  Banana bread, banana muffins, banana cake, or my personal favorite...banana pancakes!  The riper the banana, the better the dish will taste.  And these banana pancakes taste very good.  They are delicious and nutritious...with hardly any fat (that is, unless you decide to slather them in butter, peanut butter, or whipped cream).  They fluff up beautifully and have the most perfect pancake texture.  I would highly recommend eating them with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and pure maple syrup because they don't take away from the wonderful banana flavor - like peanut butter or nutella or chocolate chips would (and that's saying a lot, because trust me:peanut butter and chocolate are my 2 favorite foods in the universe).  Not that you shouldn't add these toppings...because you totally could, but I liked maple syrup, cinnamon, and whipped cream the best. 

Yield: about 12 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

Garnish: maple syrup, cinnamon, and whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, applesauce, vanilla extract, and bananas.
2. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.  Garnish with whipped cream, maple syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.

Banana Cream Pie

I made this for a sleepover with my friend, and we at over half the pie in one sitting - just the 2 of us.  She was so surprised at how good it was and made me give her the recipe.  Before she tasted it, she really, really wanted to go to a local ice cream shop for dessert.  But I told her I made a pie, and she was like: "okay...well...I guess I'll try it."  And when she tasted it - well, lets just say she really did not want to go to get ice cream anymore.  This is by far the best banana cream pie I've ever had.  The sugar cookie crust makes it extra special, as opposed to a normal, flaky pie crust.  The crust makes it very sweet, but it's just so delicious and pairs perfectly with the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, banana filling.  Without the crust, the filling is also the best tasting pudding I've ever had!  The filling has a wonderful banana flavor that I'm sure you will love.  This pie is the ultimate comfort food...especially for those warm summer nights.


For the Crust:
Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten


Instructions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before filling.


For the banana cream filling:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 bananas, sliced

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
2. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
3. Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for at least one hour.
5. Garnish with whipped cream and/or extra sliced bananas, if desired.