FUDGY BANANA MUFFINS

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 (1.55-oz each) milk chocolate candy bars

In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, milk, egg, oil, and vanilla extract; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.

Fill prepared muffins cups 1/3 full. Break each candy bars into pieces and place 2 pieces in each muffin cup atop the batter. Top with the remaining batter.

Chop the remaining candy bar pieces and sprinkle over the muffin batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 18 muffins

Note: This is my version of a recipe I saw in a 1990s TOH magazine.

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LEMON PASTRY SHELL

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp ReaLemon Juice Concentrate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the ReaLemon Juice; sprinkle over the crumbly mixture and stir until a dough forms into a ball.

On a floured surface, roll out to a circle 1/8-inch thick and approximately 1 1/2-inches larger than an inverted pie plate. Gently ease the dough into the pie plate and trim to 1/2-inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Fold edge under and flute the edge as desired. Prick shell with a fork for air vents and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

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COOKIE BUTTER BUNDT CAKE WITH COOKIE BUTTER GANACHE

I recently had a fb reader ask for help finding a cookie butter cake recipe. I found this one and suggested it to her. Perhaps you would like it, too. I have not tried it so I have no recommendation one way or the other but it sounds good.

Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2½ cups sugar
• 1 cup butter, unsalted and at room temp
• 1 cup Cookie Butter
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup milk

Ganache

• 10oz semi-sweet chocolate
• ⅓ cup Cookie Butter
• ¾ cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, cream together sugar, butter and Cookie Butter. Add eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is thoroughly incorporated. Add milk.
4. By the heaping spoonful, add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until combined.
5. Pour batter into Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
6. Allow the cake to cool completely before coating with ganache.
7. For ganache heat chocolate, Cookie Butter and cream over low heat until smooth and silky. Allow to cool for three to four minutes before pouring over cake.
8. Pour ganache around the top of the cake, using a spoon to nudge it in the direction you want it to drip. Make sure to lick the ganache spoon when you are done. It's the right thing to do.

Note: This recipe is from Melanie at A Beautiful Bite. She gets her cookie butter at Trader Joe's. All the reviews I have seen on this cake are 5 stars.

APPLE OR PEAR CUSTARD TART

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell in a pie or tart pan
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 lb ( 2 cups) apples or pears, pared, cored, thinly sliced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Cinnamon glaze, recipe below

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using a fork, poke holes in the bottom and sides of pastry as air vents; bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

While pastry shell bakes, in a large mixer bowl, beat the sour cream, milk, juice, egg, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour filling into the baked shell. Return to oven and bake another 30 minutes or until set. Cool.

In a skillet, cook apples or pears in the butter until crisp tender. Arrange on top of the filling. Drizzle with the cinnamon glaze.

Allow pie to cool before cutting to serve.

Leftovers should be refrigerated.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Cinnamon Glaze:
1/4 cup thawed frozen apple juice concentrate
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and cook, stirring, until thickened. Drizzle over the apples or pears.

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CHERRY ALMOND MUFFINS

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp almond extract

Topping:
1/3 cup (half all-purpose and half white whole-wheat) flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cold butter
1/3 cup chopped sliced almonds

Filling:
1 pkg (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup cherry preserves, warmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 7 jumbo muffin cups or 14 regular muffin cups; set aside.

In a bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another bowl, beat the egg, sour cream, and almond extract until smooth; stir into the flour mixture just until moistened. The batter will be thick.

To make the topping:
In a small bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in the almonds and set aside.

To make the filling:
In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Fill greased muffin cups about half full with the batter. Divide the cream cheese filling and the preserves evenly between the muffin cups; using a knife, gently swirl into the batter. Cover with the remaining batter.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter.

For jumbo muffins, bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes or until they test done. For regular muffins, bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until it tests done. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Note: This is my version of a recipe I saw in a TOH magazine in the 1990s.

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CREATE-A-CRUST APPLE CUSTARD PIE

 

2 medium apples, cored, pared, sliced

1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp biscuit baking mix (such as Bisquick)
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups water
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Crumb topping- recipe below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly butter a 10-inch pie plate; set aside.

In a bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice then toss mixture with the 2 tablespoons biscuit mix. Arrange mixture in the prepared pie plate.

In a blender, combine the 1/2 cup biscuit mix, milk, water, eggs, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; blend on low speed for 3 minutes then allow to stand for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture over the apples. Top with the Crumb Topping and bake 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting to serve.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup biscuit mix
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

In a small bowl, combine the biscuit mix and brown sugar; cut in the cold butter until crumbly. Stir in the nuts and sprinkle mixture over the pie filling.

Note: Leftovers of this pie should be refrigerated.

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SALTED CARAMEL-CHOCOLATE DUMP CAKE

I got this recipe from a reader. I have no idea where she got it. My guess is it is a Betty Crocker recipe since it calls for that cake mix.

1 

small (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding

1 1/2 

cups cold milk

1 

box Betty Crocker SuperMoist Devil's Food cake mix

1 1/2 

cups chopped caramels

coarse sea salt for sprinkling

1 

cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

whipped cream, for serving (optional)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch pan and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together chocolate pudding and milk for one minute to combine.
• Add cake mix ONLY and stir until thoroughly combined.
• Spread batter evenly into bottom of prepared pan (batter will be thick). Sprinkle with chopped caramels. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste (remember: A little bit goes a long way).
• Bake cake 30-40 minutes or until edges pull away from sides and a toothpick inserted in the cake portion comes out clean.
• Remove cake from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
• Pour chocolate chips into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is fully melted. Using a spoon, drizzle chocolate over cooled cake.
• Serve cake with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

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SWEET POTATO PECAN PIE

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

1 lb sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
1/4 cup butter
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp grated orange rind
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
Pecan topping (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the hot sweet potatoes with the butter until smooth. Add the milk, orange rind, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and eggs; mix well. Pour mixture into the pastry shell and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon the following topping evenly over the top.

Pecan Topping:
1 egg
3 tbsp dark corn syrup
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp maple flavoring
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Place all ingredients except pecans in a mixer bowl and mix together well. Stir in the pecans. Spoon mixture evenly over the top of the hot pie. Return to oven and bake another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Garnish pie with whipped cream, if desired, when serving.

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BUTTERSCOTCH DESSERT

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 stick butter, melted

Combine crumbs and butter, press onto the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch pan or baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

1 9-oz carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 cup powdered sugar

1 brick (8-oz) cream cheese, softened

Beat the whipped topping, powdered sugar and cream cheese with electric mixer until well blended. Spread mixture over the cooled crust.

2 small cook &serve butterscotch pudding (not instant)

3 cups milk

3 tbsp brown sugar

Cooking pudding, milk, and brown sugar together until thickened. Allow to cool before spreading over the cream cheese mixture. Top with a carton of cool whip. May sprinkle chopped nuts, chocolate curls or coconut over the top, if desired.

Refrigerate until serving time.

photo from simplesweets

KAF'S APPLE CAKE

THIS IS A TASTY APPLE CAKE FROM OUR FRIENDS AT KING ARTHUR FLOUR.

CAKE

• 2 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups peeled, cored, chopped apple, about 1 1/3 pounds whole apples
• 1 cup diced toasted walnuts or pecans

FROSTING

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla-butternut flavor

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan.
2. To make the cake: Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and nuts in a large bowl.
3. Beat until well combined; the mixture will be very stiff, and may even be crumbly.
4. Add the apples and nuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the stiff mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency.
5. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers.
6. Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few wet crumbs clinging to it.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool completely; don't remove the cake from the pan.
8. To make the frosting: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts.
9. Add the milk, bring to a boil, and pour into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes.
10. After 10 minutes, stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat well; if the mixture appears too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. Spread on the cake while frosting is still warm.
11. Yield: about 2 dozen servings.