Showing posts with label banana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banana. Show all posts

Whoopie Pies for Elvis



Fresh out of the oven

sugar and butter mixture - should be crumbly before adding cream, honey, and lemon juice

Assembly line

Chocolate glaze

The Good, the Bad, and the Yummy states that "Elvis might have been horribly misguided about drugs and sequins, but he got one thing right—peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

I couldn't agree more. Elvis was a smart man with an even smarter mother. It is rumored that his mom used to prepare his favorite sandwich for him- a peanut butter and banana sandwich on hawaiian bread. My own father used to love to each peanut butter on ritz crackers, also very yummy and I love peanut butter and honey on wheat bread. How do you combine all three? Only in a whoopie pie of course!

My friend Taryn and I decided to tackle the idea of an Elvis whoopie pie. Banana Whoopie's with a layer of salted peanut butter spread and honey buttercream, to top it all off and really make it K Bakes style Taryn had the brilliant idea of dipping them in chocolate. It seems like a lot of hard work but they really weren't that difficult, and all the ingredients really make these amazing. By adding mashed bananas to the whoopie pies it makes for a ultra moist cake that isn't too sweet, once paired with the thick peanut butter spread and the light sweet honey buttercream you can't resist but to bite into these. I think even Elvis would be proud of the chocolate addition.

All recipes are adapted from the brilliant book "Whoopie Pies" by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

Banana Whoopie:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole weat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together using a strainer or a sifter both flours, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Set aside
  3. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer) beat together the butter, shortening, sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy. Add in the eggs and beat until combined.
  4. slowly add in the dry ingredients, once combined add in the mashed bananas and mix on medium speed for about 2 min.
  5. Using a spoon or a pastry bag with a large round tip drop about 1-2 tablespoons of batter depending on how large you want to make them onto the prepared baking sheets spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake on the sheets for about 10 min, or until the cakes begin to brown slightly. remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for a few min before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Fillings!!

Honey Buttercream:
  • 3 cups of confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons of honey (I use Savannah Bee Company's Winter White Honey)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the confectioners sugar and the butter, starting on low and increasing to medium speed, until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. add the heavy cream, honey, lemon juice, and salt and beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Salty Peanut Butter:
  • 3/4 cup of creamy or crunchy peanut butter (I used reduced fat creamy peanut butter at it was great)
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt (if you don't want it to be too salty you could just do a pinch of salt)
In the work bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the peanut butter and butter on low speed until smooth and creamy. add the confectioners sugar and the salt and beat on low to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the filling is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Chocolate glaze:
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat just until it bubbles. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the bowl and stir until smooth. add the butter and stir to blend.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Put both your fillings into pastry bags fitted with a large round tip or in a ziplock back with the tip cut off. Pipe the peanut butter filling on half of the whoopie pie's and the honey buttercream on the other half. Assemble by putting the honey buttercream whoopies on top of the peanut butter ones (so the heavier side doesn't crush the buttercream) Once they are assembled dip each one into the warm chocolate glaze, then cool on a rack. Place a sheet of parchment or waxed paper under the rack to catch the drippings.


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Banana Nut Cupcakes with Cinnamon + Honey Frosting


Whew, thank god the week is finally over. Now a new one is about to begin and I thought I would at least end this one on a high note by posting a new recipe. Last week I was desperate for a cupcake and I had yellow cake mix and bananas, so once again I decided to make Banana Nut cupcakes, only this time I made regular sized cupcakes since I can pretty much eat a dozen mini cupcakes on my own :-) Or at least I felt like I might at the time.
So since the recipe wasn't new I decided to use a new icing recipe. A few months ago I went to Savannah for a visit and I went to one of my favorite stores the Savannah Bee Company they carry a full line up of different flavored honey's and all are amazing. The store itself is a sight to be seen, they have a oversized honey comb where children can go and play, a full honey bar where you can taste each honey with a choice of local cheese, apples, and raw honey comb, or you can view a informative honey film while you shop. On my last trip I picked up some of their Winter White honey since I like sweets it was love at first sight. It is unlike any other honey I have ever tasted, it is creamy and has a hint of cinnamon in it. I knew right away it would be great in a dessert so I bought two of the 3 oz bottles (since I flew with a carry on, hah) and I was on my merry way.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I opened the cupboard and saw the honey staring me in the face. Rather then using regular honey as I had originally planned on and would have been delightful I am sure, I thought I could really make it spectacular by using the winter white honey! This frosting is now one of my new favorites, and I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

For the cupcakes see my Banana Nut Mini post here and follow the cupcake recipe, you can make this regular sized or mini - up to you.

For the icing you will need:
  • 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon of honey - if you can get your hands on some of the Winter White Honey then use that here.
  • 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
In a mixer fixed with a whisk attachment beat sugar, butter, honey, and cinnamon for 3-4 minutes. Once creamed together add the heavy whipping cream. Voila all done! I doubled the recipe for the amount of cupcakes I was making which was about 24.

If you like you can throw a few tablespoons of butter into a saute pan and brown, add some cut up bananas and a half a teaspoon of cinnamon. Heat through place in a bowl set aside until they cool to room temperature. Place one slice on top of each cupcake.


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Banana Nut Mini's




My friend Jill's birthday was this weekend and she was having a "Mini" food theme so after planning on baking mini apple cider donuts my plan was foiled at around 9:30pm on Friday night when I realized I didn't have any plain yogurt which the donut recipe calls for. So, I looked around at my options and all I had were some bananas, nuts, and some yellow cake mix... so banana cupcakes were on the menu.


This recipe is super easy and these mini cupcakes are by far some of the most moist cupcakes you will ever taste. You could also make regular size cupcakes with this recipe if you want... they are great with coffee.

BATTER:
  • 1 pkg of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1/3 cup Vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2-3 Bananas
  • 1 cup of walnuts
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
  • 1/2 shortening
  • 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons of whole milk
To make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350F fill your pan with mini cupcake liners set aside. Blend dry mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 min. In another bowl mash your bananas with a fork, add into the batter, mixing with a spoon. Put your walnuts in a food processor and grind until you have small little bits of the nuts, add to batter. Thats it for the batter- it is super easy.

Fill your mini cups 3/4 of the way up with the batter. Bake in the oven for about 12-15 min. They are very moist so they take a bit more time then most mini cupcakes to bake. Let them cool completely before adding the frosting.

To make the icing:

Mix the shortening and butter until fluffy, add in vanilla extract. Once combined slowly add in the powdered sugar while mixing. The mixture will be rather dry at this point. Slowly add in the milk until you reach your desired texture. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.

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Banana + Cream Cups

Being as obsessed as I am with baking and cute things I find myself surfing blogs for ideas and good recipes. Lately I have found some great ones, some of my favorites include: Eat Drink Chic, A field Journal, Design Sponge, Once Wed, and Tartelette which is where the idea for this next recipe came from. The creator of Tartelette is also a food photographer which I love because her photos are amazing and make everything look so yummy! Her version of this recipe called for creme fraiche or sour cream and I didn't have either handy so I decided to do it with homemade whipped cream which is more my style anyway or you can use vanilla ice cream as well.


•••This recipe really only makes enough for two people so if you need more then I would double... triple accordingly.

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of good Vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix on high until light and fluffy. Put aside in the fridge while you prepare the rest to keep nice and cold.

For the crumble topping:

  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons of flour
  • 3 tablespoons of cold butter
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped crystallized ginger (you can find this at any grocery store in the spices section of the baking isle)

Preheat the oven to 350F, in a small bowl combine the sugar and flour, add the butter cut in small pieces and ginger, mix with your hands or with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. spread the mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 min until golden brown. let cool to room temp.

For the good part! Bananas!

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of water
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 bananas, cut into thick slices - peel first ;-)

In a skillet set over medium high heat, cook the sugar with water until it caramelizes to a golden caramel. I noticed this never really happened for me until I added the butter so don't worry if it isn't perfect. The first time I tried something went wrong and it basically turned into sand. Turn the heat down and add the butter. Let it melt before adding the bananas. let them cook in the caramel for a couple of minutes until soft and caramelized. I have to say this does get pretty hot so be careful when you ad the bananas not to burn yourself. Remove form the heat and wait a few minutes before dividing the mixture in your glasses.

To assemble:

Put a thick layer of whipped cream on the bottom of your glass, then a good thick layer of the banana mixture, lastly sprinkle the ginger mixture on the top as much or as little as you like.

Once you master this recipe it will be great for those nights where you want something special and have some time to make it great... beats a bowl of ice cream any day.

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BBBB's





Black Bottom Banana Bars! This is a new recipe I tried out last night since I had some extra bananas that were going bad to use. I can honestly say these will not stick around long, they are very easy to make and taste great. At first glance most of my friends thought they would be really heavy and were happily surprised to find out that they are actually pretty light. Don't worry your sweet tooth will be satisfied, they have a good amount of sweetness especially since I used a healthy amount over what the recipe calls for of semi-sweet chocolate chips :-)

The recipe is slightly adapted from one I found on tastespotting.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3-4) could use a little more depending on how much banana flavor like.
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate bar broken up

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and bananas, beating thoroughly.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well.

3. Divide batter in half. Add the cocoa to one portion of the batter. Spread that portion in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. I found this to be a bit difficult, helps if you place spoonfuls of the batter around the bottom of the pan and use a spatula to help spread them together. Spoon remaining batter on top, swirling gently with butter knife if desired, and sprinkle with chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until batter tests done with a toothpick or fork. Cool completely and cut into 24 squares. These are amazing warm.


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My first bread pudding


I woke up to yet another snow covered morning in Dallas on Sunday with plans to bake. Originally lemon squares were on the menu but after seeing the snow I decided to embark on my first bread pudding adventure-not to mention I'm reading a novel based in Queen Elizabeth's 16th century court which also mentions bread pudding, so I was already craving it.

Since I am so partial to chocolate I decided to go with a recipe I found in Jill O'Connors "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" cookbook called Banana Bread Pudding with Hot Fudge and Toasted Walnuts. You can bake this really with any topping you like, I have a recipe for Whisky-Walnut Caramel Sauce that would be great on this but since it was Sunday I couldn't get the Whisky so chocolate is the next best thing I suppose.

Serves 8 to 10

Pudding Ingredients:
  • 1 loaf Brioche (13 oz) Cut crosswise into 12 slices about 1 inch thick
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons cold butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 8 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
Ganache Ingredients:
  • 8 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a cold stick of butter until lightly coated.

Slice your Brioche and brush both sides with the melted butter. Mix together 1/2 cup of the sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle both sides of your buttered brioche with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Once coated cut your slices of bread in fours making rough one inch cubes. Place on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven until golden brown and crisp all over. Toss occasionally should take somewhere between 7-10 min. LET COOL COMPLETELY.

Once your bread is out of the oven start mixing the custard. In a large bowl (make sure it is big enough to hold the custard and the bread) whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, the last cup of sugar, and the vanilla. Slowly whisk in the cream and milk. Stir in the salt and mashed bananas. Once the brioche has cooled go ahead and add the cubes to the custard and stir carefully with a wooden spoon to make sure all the pieces are coated.

Pour the pudding mixture in the buttered dish. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours to make sure the bread absorbs a good bit of the custard.

Time to bake! Once the pudding has done its time in the fridge, top the cold butter cubes all over the top. Sprinkle the last 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar. Cover the pan with tin foil and poke a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape while baking. Bake for 20 min. Remove the tin foil and continue baking until it is puffed and golden and when your knife comes out clean, 20-25 min. Let cool for about 5 min cut the pudding into squares and drizzle each serving with the ganache and a sprinkle of toasted walnuts.

GANACHE INSTRUCTIONS:
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Combine the cream, butter,and corn syrup in a saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and the corn syrup is combined with the cream. Bring to a boil. Just as it starts bubbling pour the hot cream over the chocolate. let stand for 1 min then stir until smooth and creamy.


Brioche croutons covered in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Poke holes in the foil to let the steam escape.

Chocolate ganache mixture, amazing!

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Recipe of the Week - Banana Nut-Case

This is the recipe I came up with to enter in the Cupcake Hero Contest. I've never entered before... There are some amazing bakers out there that make incredible things and I was just too nervous to enter anything!! But this time, I thought why not! You can find more information about Cupcake Hero here, as well as great recipes and other cool things at I Heart Cuppycakes!
The ingredient for November is... Peanut Butter!

Banana Nut-Case Cupcakes
(also known as Banana - Peanut Butter - Honey filled - Choc Chip Cupcakes)
[Makes approximately 18 cupcakes]
Printable Recipe
You Will Need:
I used normal cadbury dairy milk chocolate, and cut it up to resemble choc chips. You can replace this with actual choc chips if you want. Or any kind of chocolate you feel like.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and line your cupcake tray with wrappers.
Beat together the peanut butter and the sugar.
Add the eggs to the peanut butter/sugar mixture
Beat until thoroughly combined.
Stir in the flour, bicarb soda, mashed banana, sour cream, milk & chocolate in 2 batches.
Mix together until all combined.
Place a heaped table spoon of mixture into the prepared cupcake tray.Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the tray before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Once cupcakes are cooled, cut a hole in the center. (You can do this however you find easiest.)
The easiest way I have found is using a large piping tip. Insert piping tip into top of cupcake and you have even sized holes for each one! Remember to keep the bit you take out to place back on top once cupcake is filled.
You will need for the filling and icing:


Drizzle honey into the centre of the cupcakes you just made and place 'lid' back ontop.

I'm not sure exactally how much honey I used (sorry!!)
I
t would have been approximately 1/2 teaspoon for each cupcake!
Spread a thin layer of peanut butter over the tops of the cupcakes.
You can always leave the cupcake at the Peanut Butter stage if you're not a huge chocolate fan..
Next spread a layer of nutella over the peanut butter.
Using a vegetable peeler shave some chocolate from a block and sprinkle on top of the nutella.

Recommended : A tall glass of ice cold milk.

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