Recipe: My Incredible No-Work Banana Brownies Can Make Any Day That Much Better!

My Incredible No-Work Banana Brownie

If you want to sample something deliciously different, then let me share a cherished recipe of mine for banana brownies that are moist, cake-like and also have butterscotch chips, nutmeg, lemon extract, and brown sugar bringing something extra to the mix. Just as sensational as their taste is how easy this recipe is to bake, which is a requirement in my kitchen.

This recipe doesn't require creaming since it uses oil and just involves mashing the bananas before mixing all the ingredients together.  In fact, you don’t even need to take out your mixer, but I give it a quickie round of mixing just to make sure I get any brown sugar lumps or bigger mashed banana pieces totally crushed. 

My Incredible No-Work Banana Brownies, uncut.

Although you could use butter if your heart is set on infiltrating your brownies with butter flavor, I don’t feel it is necessary in this recipe considering the lemon extract, butterscotch chips and nutmeg within this batter.  

One last thing, I never frost these brownies because it is overkill to me with how rich these are.  However, you are the master of your own kitchen so do feel free to frost with your favorite cream cheese or vanilla frosting, if desired.

My Incredible No-Work Banana Brownies

Feel free to use semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate chips for a different twist in my Incredible No-Work Banana Brownies.

1 cup of sifted flour
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1/3 cup of canola or corn oil
1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, leveled
1 large egg
1 cup of mashed bananas (about two small bananas)           

½ cup of butterscotch chips

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of lemon extract

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.

Also, you might want to grease your brownie pan or one about 9-3/4" x 6" now because it doesn’t take long before this recipe will be ready for your oven.

Mash enough bananas to make one cup.

Then add those bananas to your mixing bowl with the rest of your ingredients.  Stir with a fork or take out your electric mixer to incorporate everything.  The electric mixer helps smooth and catch any missed lumps.

When you batter is smooth and everything is well blended, then pour into greased pan and bake for about 25 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated.  Test with toothpick, cake tester or slender knife to see anything sticks will tell if it is done.

ENJOY!

Recipe: Try My No-Bake Chocolate Treats Recipe Over the Holidays for Some Extra Holiday Cheer!

I have some friends that live out of state and were in town for the holidays.  Since I knew I would be seeing them later today, I made a fresh recipe of these quick treats knowing how their entire family loved them, especially the children.  

Unlike a traditional no-bake cookie, this recipe follows the same procedure but has some delicious changes that I made to it like mini-marshmallows, flaked coconut, and peppermint extract that turn these chocolate sensations into a completely different sort of chocolate cookie-candy.

Here is a photo of my No-Bake Chocolate Treats.  You get about two dozen from this recipe.

My No-Bake Chocolate Treats

1 stick or ½ cup of butter or margarine (do not use one that is labeled a spread)
½ cup of milk
1-1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup of grated coconut flakes
3-1/2 cups of rolled oats
1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
1 cup of mini-marshmallows


Melt the butter, sugar, and milk together in your saucepan for about a minute or two until the crystals in the sugar dissolve.

Then add the marshmallows, chocolate, and peanut butter and stir through.

Remove from the heat and pour in the peppermint extract and oatmeal, a little at time, to mix through.

Drop onto waxed paper and let it harden.  This takes about 40-45 minutes or less time, depending on how small or large you make those treats.

ENJOY!

Recipe: You'll Feel Like Smiling Once You Splurge on My Luscious Lemon Cups for Dessert!

Imagine how delicious a cup of creamy lemon custard would taste right about now?  Anyone that loves lemon and pudding type of desserts will really enjoy this recipe.  This yummy delight has a cloudlike texture bursting with tangy sweet lemon flavor so it is sure to bring on a sunny attitude. 

It is relatively easy to make once you assemble all the ingredients.  The most complicated part is separating the egg yolks from the whites and then beating the whites to fold in.

Using milk is fine, but if you want the texture even creamier, then substitute evaporated milk.  The richness is increased and the finished custard is as smooth as velvet against your tongue. 

You will bake this in the oven in four custard cups that need to be surrounded by hot water once in your baking pan.   

Feel free to top with whipped cream or frozen whipped topping later or just serve plain. Either choice is delicious!

My Luscious Lemon Cups

2 tablespoons of melted margarine or butter (not spread)
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind or 1 teaspoon of lemon extract
1 cup of milk or evaporated milk (to make it creamier)


To Prepare:

Leave your eggs at room temperature while you assemble your ingredients.  They will separate better. 

Set the yolks aside. 

You will beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form.

After melting the margarine, mix it along with the sugar, yolks, flour, lemon juice, rind or extract, and milk into a mixing bowl.

Fold in the egg whites.

Grease and fill four custard cups and place in a 9-inch square baking pan.   Put this pan in the oven before pouring some hot water around them.

Bake these custards at 350-degrees for about 45 minutes or until a slim knife inserted comes out clean.

Chill thoroughly.  

Top with fluffy whipped cream or enjoy as is!

Ecstasy Is My Strawberry Pretzel Salad Supreme!

This is a special dessert that goes nicely with the hot weather.  My strawberry pretzel salad combines two tastes of sweet and salty for a cold dessert that is creamy and decadent with cream cheese, marshmallows, Cool Whip Topping over a baked pretzel crust and layered with strawberries swimming in strawberry gelatin!

I warn you, however, this is a very hard temptation to resist.  The unexpected mix of velvety sweet and salty can practically drive you over the edge with pleasure with every scrumptious bite.  Therefore, I advise you to proceed with caution because this can quickly become an addictive dessert!

My Strawberry Pretzel Salad Supreme

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
2 cups of crushed pretzels (not too fine)
3/4 cup of melted margarine (not spread)
1 container (9-oz. size) of Cool Whip Topping
1 package of cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese (8 oz. size)
2 cups of mini marshmallows
1 package (6-oz. size) of strawberry gelatin
2-1/2 cups of boiling water
1 package of frozen strawberries  (10 oz. size)


Combine the crushed pretzels, granulated sugar, and margarine in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. 

Bake this mixture at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes to firm this up.

Cool this shell and set aside while you prepare the filling.

Cream the softened cheese and add the confectioners sugar to thoroughly combine. 

Fold in the Cool Whip, mini marshmallows and spread over the baked layer.

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water.  Stir in the berries next and chill until it thickens.  When it is thick enough, you will spread over the cream cheese layer and chill.

Survive the Heat With My Decadent Frozen Peanut Butter Pie!

With this heat wave we've been experiencing all over the country, I thought this would be the perfect time to share a very easy pie recipe that you can pull out of your freezer and serve.  This frozen peanut butter pie has a heavenly, creamy texture thanks to cream cheese and Cool Whip that pumps up its awesomeness for the perfect cool weekend indulgence!

This is one of the rare times that I resort to a graham cracker pie crust over my absolute favorite oil pie crust.  The flavor of those graham crackers mingling with this pie just heightens the flavor in a way that is hard to describe.  Once you make this recipe and taste, you will understand why I think the graham cracker crust is so important here.

My Decadent Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

4 oz. of softened cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1 cup of sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup of milk
9-oz. container of Cool Whip Dessert Topping
1 graham cracker crust (9-inch size), baked and cooled
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts (optional)

Whip the softened cheese with your electric mixer until fluffy. 
Beat in the sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. 
Slowly add the milk, blending thoroughly as you go into the mixture. 
Fold the Cool Whip topping into this.
Pour the mixture into your baked pie crust.
If desired, top with the finely chopped peanuts and freeze until firm and ready to serve.

Make My Delicious Protein-Packed Bread Pudding!

Today, I have a wonderful recipe as well as a great way to finish any stale bread you may want to get rid with my favorite bread pudding.  Not only does this dessert taste incredible, it also is loaded with protein from cottage cheese, eggs, and milk to make it even better.

To give a different flavor twist to this pudding, you can switch out your flavors of extracts.  Lemon extract will add an interesting change with or without the cinnamon. Yet that extract is only one of many that you can play with to reinvent this.

Adding dried fruits is another yummy option.  One-half cup of snipped dates or raisins is something you should try.

So the next time you have some bread you would like to use up, I do hope you will try my recipe because it is truly delicious!


My Best Bread Pudding

1-1/2 cups of cream-style cottage cheese
3/4 cup of milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of melted margarine or canola oil
4 slices of bread, cut into small cubes (2-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Get out your blender or food processor and blend the cottage cheese, milk, eggs, sugar, melted margarine or oil, cinnamon, and vanilla together until smooth.

Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart size casserole dish or baking pan .  Add your bread cubes and stir in to moisten. 

Let this stand for about 15 minutes; stir another time.

Set the pan in a larger one in your oven.  Pour about an inch of boiling water along the sides of that larger pan to surround your pudding mixture.

Bake at 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Serve this warm or cold.  Enjoy!