Banana Cake:
Everyone thinks that their own, their grandmother's or their mother's is THE best banana cake there is. There aren't many instances where I claim that my version of a recipe is the best. Except for banana cake. I know, it's a bold claim. But try my recipe and I assure you that you will never make another version again.
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
4 overly ripe bananas (preferably black, no good for eating, but perfect for baking!)
1 cup melted butter (2 Sticks)
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Topping:
Combine:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). Grease a bundt pan with cooking spray. Put butter, sugar, eggs, and bananas in a food processor and mix well. Add baking soda to yogurt and mix. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with the dry. Stir in vanilla. Spread half the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the topping mixture. Spread other half of batter in pan, and top with remaining topping mixture. Bake about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Chocolate Chip Cookies:
The trick to chocolate chip cookies is to use mini-chips. This makes for an amazingly delicious distribution of chocolate.
Makes a little over 2 dozen.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips (sometimes if I'm feeling a little crazy I'll use 2)
2 cups flour
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars for about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients. Use a small ice cream scoop and place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Do not press down. Cook for 10-11 minutes, NO MORE! They may seem like they need to brown a little more but don't let them. Pour yourself a tall glass of milk and enjoy!.
Seven Layer Squares (AKA Hello Dolly Squares):
These babies are insane! The nemesis of any successful diet. They are heavenly and incredibly rich and look absolutely beautiful. Best of all, they are so easy to make.
Ingredients:
For Crust:
1 and 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
For the Layers:
2 cups broken-up pecans
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 cups raisins
2 cups dark chocolate chips
2 cups Skor chips
2 cups mini-marshmallows
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Layer pecans, white chips, raisins, dark chips, Skor chips, ending with the marshmallows. Pour can of condensed milk on top trying to get into the cracks between marshmallows. Bake in oven for 35 minutes. When finished, place in freezer overnight. Cut and enjoy!
Sugar Cookies:
So simple, yet so delicious. These cookies are great with tea or hot chocolate. Perfect for those brisk winter days. Be sure to refrigerate dough for at least an hour before baking to retain crisp cut edges.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg (slightly beaten)
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix well until combined. Slowly add flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into two discs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350(F). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place on cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Lemon Bars:
Sweet and slightly tangy, perfect for summer days. There's just something about lemon that screams refreshing to me. Maybe it has something to do with my affinity for lemonade. Nonetheless, these are incredible.
Ingredients:
For Crust:
1 cup butter
1 & 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
For the Filling:
1 & 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/2 cup lemon juice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). Grease and flour a 9x13 glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together flour and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. While crust is baking, prepare filling. In a large bowl, add sugar, flour and baking powder. Add eggs and lemon juice. Mix well and pour on top of warm crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Refrigerate until cold. Cut and serve.
Everyone thinks that their own, their grandmother's or their mother's is THE best banana cake there is. There aren't many instances where I claim that my version of a recipe is the best. Except for banana cake. I know, it's a bold claim. But try my recipe and I assure you that you will never make another version again.
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
4 overly ripe bananas (preferably black, no good for eating, but perfect for baking!)
1 cup melted butter (2 Sticks)
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Topping:
Combine:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). Grease a bundt pan with cooking spray. Put butter, sugar, eggs, and bananas in a food processor and mix well. Add baking soda to yogurt and mix. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with the dry. Stir in vanilla. Spread half the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the topping mixture. Spread other half of batter in pan, and top with remaining topping mixture. Bake about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Chocolate Chip Cookies:
The trick to chocolate chip cookies is to use mini-chips. This makes for an amazingly delicious distribution of chocolate.
Makes a little over 2 dozen.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips (sometimes if I'm feeling a little crazy I'll use 2)
2 cups flour
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars for about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients. Use a small ice cream scoop and place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Do not press down. Cook for 10-11 minutes, NO MORE! They may seem like they need to brown a little more but don't let them. Pour yourself a tall glass of milk and enjoy!.
Seven Layer Squares (AKA Hello Dolly Squares):
These babies are insane! The nemesis of any successful diet. They are heavenly and incredibly rich and look absolutely beautiful. Best of all, they are so easy to make.
Ingredients:
For Crust:
1 and 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
For the Layers:
2 cups broken-up pecans
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 cups raisins
2 cups dark chocolate chips
2 cups Skor chips
2 cups mini-marshmallows
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Layer pecans, white chips, raisins, dark chips, Skor chips, ending with the marshmallows. Pour can of condensed milk on top trying to get into the cracks between marshmallows. Bake in oven for 35 minutes. When finished, place in freezer overnight. Cut and enjoy!
Sugar Cookies:
So simple, yet so delicious. These cookies are great with tea or hot chocolate. Perfect for those brisk winter days. Be sure to refrigerate dough for at least an hour before baking to retain crisp cut edges.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg (slightly beaten)
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix well until combined. Slowly add flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into two discs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350(F). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place on cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Lemon Bars:
Sweet and slightly tangy, perfect for summer days. There's just something about lemon that screams refreshing to me. Maybe it has something to do with my affinity for lemonade. Nonetheless, these are incredible.
Ingredients:
For Crust:
1 cup butter
1 & 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
For the Filling:
1 & 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/2 cup lemon juice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350(F). Grease and flour a 9x13 glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together flour and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. While crust is baking, prepare filling. In a large bowl, add sugar, flour and baking powder. Add eggs and lemon juice. Mix well and pour on top of warm crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Refrigerate until cold. Cut and serve.
