Crafxzen

My favorite banana bread recipe modified from a Hannaford July/August 2010 magazine, pg. 15 recipe. Moist and tastes great!

2 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium bananas)
1/3 cup buttermilk (Make your own: Add 1/3 Tbsp. vinegar to a 1/3 measuring cup and fill with milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.)
1 Tbsp. applesauce (or 1 Tbsp. oil or 1 Tbsp. plain yogurt)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter softened
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour + 1/4 cup buckwheat flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat eggs with brown sugar, honey and maple syrup until thick and light. Stir in mashed bananas, buttermilk, applesauce, butter and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until blended.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to the banana mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

7/1/18 – I made this in my convection oven and it came out super good. I put it in a 9×9 pan and baked it at 325 F for about 40 minutes. I was able to pass it off as cake to my picky eater who doesn’t like banana bread. I also served it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

4/3/16 – To make this gluten free: substitute the 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour with 1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

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St. Patrick’s Day Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

In Baking Recipes, Cookies

This recipe is a combination of the Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate Chip cookie recipe on the back of the dark chocolate chips package and the McCormick Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe found here.

I made it in my food processor and added the 1/4 tsp of food coloring at the very end. I think I mixed it too long as the consistency of the batter changed. After they were baked, the edges were brown while the rest was green. The next time I make this, I’m going to try adding the food coloring after the eggs and reduce the amount to 1/8 tsp of food coloring. Despite the brown edges, these were really good.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp McCormick peppermint extract
2 eggs
1/8 – 1/4 tsp green food coloring
1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar and mint extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in food coloring. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 8 – 11 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

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Banana Cream Pie

In Baking Recipes, Pie

I made Banana Cream Pie for the first time ever a few weeks ago. The original recipe is from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-cream-pie-i/

My version is below, altered to use less sugar and my favorite baking ingredients, honey and cinnamon.

Pie Crust:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
2 1/2 tbs water

Preheat oven to 425.
Combine all ingredients for the pie crust. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of wax paper and put bottom pie crust in a glass pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Filling:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
4 bananas, sliced
1 tbs honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350 F.

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.

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 & keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove; add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.

Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with pudding mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for an hour.

Before serving, top each slice of pie with whipped cream, if desired.

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream
2 tbs sugar (I used 1/2 tbs)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat whipping cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium until soft peaks form.

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Buckwheat Apple Muffins

In Baking Recipes, Muffins

I’ve just discovered Buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is gluten free and full of vitamins iron and potassium. It is also very high in protein, comparable to meat, eggs and milk. Buckwheat is low in fat and sodium.
Buckwheat is an herb, not a grain and from what I’ve read it can be used 1 for 1 in place of flour in any recipe that calls for using flour: breads, muffins, cakes, pizza dough etc.
My first attempt at using buckwheat flour resulted in the following recipe. They were approved by my 2 picky eaters. Pretty good flavor, add more sugar if you wish, and pretty moist.
Next time I make this I will try all buckwheat flour.

4 tbs butter, softened
1/8 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup raw honey
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 cup buckwheat flour
plus 1 cup flour of your choice:
1 cup buckwheat flour
or
1 cup all purpose flour
or
(Since I have a bunch of flours on hand, I used:
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup organic pastry flour
1/4 cup unbleached, unenriched white flour
1/4 cup organic all purpose flour)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 apples, quartered
1/2- 1 cup berries of your choice, optional

Preheat oven to 400.
In food processor, combine butter, oil, eggs, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, applesauce, vanilla, yogurt and mix. Add flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and mix.
Add buttermilk and mix. Add apples and mix until apples are chopped. Stir in berries of your choice, if using.

Pour batter into muffin cups. I filled the muffin cups halfway to make smaller muffins which made 32 muffins.

Bake at 400, 15 – 20 minutes.

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Grandma’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

In Baking Recipes, Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This is my mother’s strawberry rhubarb pie recipe. My oldest son loves it! I made it last weekend and he ate the whole pie himself, except for 2 small pieces! Him and my sister even fight over sharing this strawberry rhubarb pie whenever my mother makes it.
This is the original recipe with the additions I made to cut down the amount of sugar & salt. I also added cinnamon & nutmeg to make up for the lack of sugar.

Makes 1 Pie Crust:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
2 1/2 tbs water

Filling:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar – I used 1/4 + 1/8 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt – I used 1/8 tsp salt
5 tbs all-purpose flour
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups diced rhubarb
2 tbs butter
I also added 1/2 tsp cinnamon, dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425.
Combine all ingredients for the pie crust. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of wax paper and put bottom pie crust in a glass pie pan.
Combine all ingredients for the filling, except strawberries & rhubarb. Mix dry ingredients into strawberries & rhubarb. Put into crust in pie pan. Dot with butter. Add top crust. Flute edges. Bake 40 – 50 minutes.

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Martha Gillen’s Cutout Cookies

In Baking Recipes, Christmas, Cookies

I just picked up a set of heart shaped cookie cutters, so for Valentine’s Day, I’m using them with my go to cutout cookie recipe. They are super good! This is an old, long lost family recipe. The dough is very sticky, so have an extra cup or so of flour on hand. Refrigerating the dough for a few hours before rolling it out will also help.
Keep in mind this recipe is definitely not healthy, so eat in moderation.

2 cups sugar – I used 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening – I used 1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream – I used 1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbs vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour + at least 1 cup – I used 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour and 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375.
Spray cookie sheets with oil or non-stick cooking spray or use parchment paper.
Add all ingredients in order and mix well. Add extra flour if dough is too sticky. Original recipe says to let dough rest for 10 minutes, but I refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
Roll out between 2 well floured pieces of wax paper. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
Bake at 375 for 9 – 10 minutes.

Here is the healthier version I just made for Easter:

2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbs vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon

I refrigerated the dough for a couple of hours. This version wasn’t quite as sticky as the original version, but still needs some extra flour when rolling out.

The frosting recipe I used was from my Pillsbury Complete Cookbook, pg. 382. It made just enough for the amount of cookies I had. Double the recipe if you like a lot of frosting.

Buttery Decorator Icing

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/8 cup shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs milk

In large bowl, combine butter and shortening; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, mix well.
Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in enough milk at high speed until light and fluffy and of desired consistency.

(paid links)

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Quick n Easy Banana Split

In Baking Recipes, Dessert

This is a recipe similar to one found in my new Speedy Sneaky Chef book. It is super easy and only takes a few minutes to make.

1 frozen banana
3 tbs of yogurt, plain or any other flavor of your choosing will work
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Add all ingredients in order to a small food processor. Mix until smooth.

Tip: Keep a couple of frozen bananas in the freezer ready to go.
This recipe would also be great with other frozen fruit in place of or in addition to the banana.

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Jessica Collins Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies

In Baking Recipes, Cookies

I love ginger cookies this time of year. I made this recipe last week. It was a ginger cookie recipe by actress Jessica Collins I found in the December 27, 2011 issue of Soap Opera Digest. Pretty good!

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter – 12 tbs – a little colder than room temp
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar: 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon mixed in a small bowl

Mix together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, salt.
With a mixer, beat butter & sugar until light & fluffy – about 1 minute.
Beat in egg, molasses, vanilla on medium speed – about 1 minute.
Turn mixer to low & gradually add flour mixture. Do not overmix.
Form dough into a loose disk & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. – Apparently this is a great cookie baking secret, so don’t skip this step.
Preheat oven to 350. Let dough sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into a ball. Roll each ball into cinnamon sugar and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place balls 2 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes.
Cookies are done when they are set and slightly cracked on top.
Note: Cookies will puff up and flatten.
Sprinkle warm cookies with a pinch more of cinnamon sugar and cool on a wire rack.

Jessica Collins used to play Dinah Lee on the soap opera Loving. She now plays Avery on The Young and the Restless. She also has her own cooking website: http://www.jessicacollins.tv/

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Apple Pear Crisp Fruit

In Baking Recipes, Dessert

This recipe is adapted to use less sugar from the Pear Crisp recipe out of The New American Plate Cookbook
, pg. 248. I added more spices in place of the sugar. The original recipe also calls for 6 pears, which I replaced with 4 pears and 2 apples.
It is delicious!!!

1/4 cup rolled oats
3 tbs whole wheat flour
4 tbs unbleached all purpose flour
1 tbs wheat germ
2 tbs packed dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs canola oil
4 pears, peeled, if desired, cored and cubed into 1 inch pieces
2 apples, peeled, if desired, cored and cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/16 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375. Coat an 8 or 9 inch round or square pan with canola oil or non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine pears, apples, lemon juice, 1/2 tbs of the dark brown sugar, 2 tbs of all purpose flour, nutmeg and cloves. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
In a food processor, pulse the oats for 15 seconds. Add whole wheat flour, 2 tbs of all purpose flour, wheat germ, 1 1/2 tbs of brown sugar, and cinnamon. Process for 15 seconds. Drizzle in canola oil and process for 30 seconds. Cover top of pear mixture with oat mixture, pressing down gently. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the topping is brown and the pears are bubbling. Serve hot.

If you don’t have a blood sugar issue, like I do, this would be really good served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

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Healthy Pumpkin Pie Scratch