Yay! The Kids Are Back - For A Visit!

These pictures are for you, Gramma Barb and Grandpa Mike!

Banana Banana Bread

Ready to go, but the mini chips kept falling off.

This recipe for banana bread is from another treat that I made for the ladies get-together last week. I have several recipes for banana that are tried and true, but for some crazy reason, I went on a search for a new recipe! Why do I do that? I don't know! We are suppose to learn from our mistakes! Sometimes I learn nothing! Why, oh, why I do not know! I usually write the month and year on the recipes I use, so that I know when I made them, and most importantly, I write notes on what worked and what to do different next time. I also write who I made it for, which helps so I don't always make the same thing for the same people. You would think I would take advantage of that info. But no, not me, I'm always looking to add a little extra stress to the situation by using a recipe I know nothing about. 

Wrapped and ready

I found a recipe at food.com and made a few changes. The recipe went together very easy, but unfortunately, I over baked it, which is the worst thing you can do with quick bread, next to over mixing! I have written my notes on this recipe now and I will try hard to keep my banana bread moist next time! Because I realized before I left the house, at 7:40 a.m. that the bread was dry, I whipped up some spread as a topping. I mixed about 5 ounces of fat free cream cheese, about 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter, about 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, a touch of vanilla and a little milk. I whipped it until it was very fluffy and spread easily. Peanut butter and bananas, what's not to love? I guess I forgot to try it, but it passed the dear hubby test and everyone that tried the spread said it was really good. I will probably make it again, now that I have all my notes written on what not to do!



Enjoy!

Brown Butter Streusel Mini Crumb Cakes

Did I ever mention that I have a thing for baking pans? When I saw a mini crumb cake pan at Williams-Sonoma several years ago, I knew I had to have it! It is a really cool pan with removable bottoms which makes removing the little cakes very easy. The recipe makes a dozen so I don't make them very often. This past week I made treats for a ladies fellowship group and I jumped at the chance to use my special pan. 


The browned butter makes these crumb cakes extra special. I brown the butter first so that it can cool completely before starting the recipe. I decided to make the cinnamon apple variation printed on the back of the box. I was happy that they turned out good, but next time I will increase the apple quantity to 1-1/2 cups. The one cup of apples gives you just a hint of apple. I think they could be a lot better with more apple pieces. To make this work, I will add a little less batter, add the apples and pat them down into the batter a little more. I will also add the crumb topping just to the top of the rim, which will probably leave some unused crumbs. As you can see from the photo below, when the cake rises, it pushes the crumb out and over the rim. It's not really a problem, but if part of it falls off, you have a lopsided crumb cake.

The outer cakes brown more than the inside cakes

Enjoy!