Never, never, NEVER throw away overripe bananas! Pop those puppies in the freezer until you're ready to make my fabulous Banana Nut Bread recipe. It's so easy and yummy, and can easily be divided and/or doubled to make into multiple loaf pans, especially if you want to buy the disposable aluminum ones. Another personal favorite my husband begs for each year is Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Dip. This requires a little more time for forming tiny cookie balls, but it's well worth it. They have a wonderful spiced gingerbread/molasses flavor my husband loves, but none of the gingerbread or molasses yuckiness that I hate. They're especially cute in a little holiday bag with a mini ziploc container for the dip. Though usually too decadent to share with others, my Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies are both amazingly delicious and super easy, and can be a quick go-to dish for a last-minute potluck or family gathering. It's a recipe I've been carting around for almost 20 years from Taste of Home and I've yet to find one superior. Also one of my faves and equally not my own is traditional 7-Layer Cookie Bars. Again, if you have a large crowd or just want to make up some neighbor goodie boxes, these are always a pleaser! Finally, my Frosting Fudge recipe is one that's been circulating the internet for years and it's as good as you've heard. As a former loyal Marshmallow fluff Fantasy Fudge recipe user, once I started making the frosting fudge recipe, I never looked back! The combinations are endless, it can be as simple or as fancy as you want, and it's quick, easy, cheap, and amazing.
I hope you can find something you can use or something new to try. Speaking of new to try, this recipe for Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies was just recently posted by my dear friend, Cheryl, (AKA Tidymom) on her fantastic site and I can't wait to try it out! Do these not look heavenly????
If you try any of my (or my listed) recipes, please let me know what you think. Christmas for me is all about the good stuff, and treats are definitely top of my list each and every year. Happy baking!
Seven-Layer Magic Cookie Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (can grind your own in food processor or buy the box)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 cup (6 oz) butterscotch flavored chips
1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup chopped nuts (any)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass dish). In 13 x 9 dish, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over melted butter. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly on top of crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients in order listed. Press down firmly with fork. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly toasted brown. Cool. Cut into bars. Makes 24 to 36 bars.
Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not powder)
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted, divided into 1/3 portions
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cu coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13 x 9 baking pan. In a large bowl, combine cocoa and baking soda. Blend in 1/3 cup melted butter. Add boiling water, stir until well blended. Stir in sugar, eggs, and remaining butter. Add flour, vanilla, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if desired). Pour into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides. Cool. Makes 3 dozen (supposedly; mine make about 15-18 depending on how big I cut them). Optional: Dust cooled brownies with powdered sugar.
(Note: May seem undercooked, but will be cooked and gooey once cooled.)
Spice Cookes with Pumpkin Dip (Note: Requires overnight refrigeration)
Cookie Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda (not powder)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Dip Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 can (18 ounces) pumpkin pie MIX (not plain pumpkin, must be pie mix)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Add molasses, mix well. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT! Preheat oven to 375. Shape batter into 1/2 inch balls (depending on how many you want to make, can be very small, about the size of a grape, or larger like the size of a cherry tomato). Place about 1-2 inches apart on cookie sheet (depending on size). Bake for 5-6 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes then remove to wire rack.
For dip, beat cream cheese in mixing bowl until smooth. Add pumpkin pie mix, beat well. Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger; beat until smooth. Serve immediately with cookies or refrigerated (refrigerate leftover dip). Yield 20 dozen cookies (depending on size of cookies; due to time, I usually make more like 10 dozen) and 3 cups dip.
Banana (Nut) Bread
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (can really use any nuts and can omit if desired)
1-1/2 cup very ripe mashed bananas*
*I freeze all of my brown/black bananas. I thaw them on the counter beforehand, slit the peel, and they literally fall right out already mashed and ready to be used. usually 3 bananas = 1-1/2 cups.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom only of loaf pan (either 1 regular loaf pan or 2-3 smaller individual loafs, depending on size of pans used). Beat butter in large bowl on medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add egg, egg whites, and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add bananas and beat on high speed 30 seconds. In smaller separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with cream, ending with flour mixture. Add nuts (if desired). Pour batter evenly into pan. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until butter knife inserted in middle comes out clean.
Two-Ingredient Frosting Fudge
Ingredients:
This recipe is literally 2 ingredients: A can of frosting and a bag of chips. The combinations are entirely up to you. Chocolate frosting + semi-sweet chips = chocolate fudge. Vanilla or cream cheese frosting + peanut butter or butterscotch chips = peanut butter or butterscotch fudge. There are mint chocolate chips available, sometimes there are raspberry flavored ones as well. You can add nuts of any kind, marshmallows to make rocky road fudge, coconut flakes, candy pieces, etc. There are really no limits. The ONLY rule is DO NOT USE WHIPPED FROSTING!!!! It has to be regular.
Directions:
Have your containers ready. I find it easiest to line an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan with wax paper. If you're going to make and serve in disposable aluminum or tupperware containers, lightly grease inside with butter. Melt chips in bowl in microwave about 25 seconds at a time. Once they are completely melted (and should be very easy to stir) add frosting, mixing quickly to blend completely. If adding additional ingredients (nuts, marshmallows, etc.) add quickly. Pour into prepared pan and cool until hardened. If made in pan with waxed paper, dump onto cutting board, remove waxed paper, and using a heated knife (run blade under hot water), cut as desired.
