I’m always baking for Donald and his co-workers, and I often make them banana bread. I don’t always have the yucky brown bananas, so I started looking around for yummy recipes that are easy to transport to the job site. This recipe, which I found on Iowa Girl Eats (iowagirleats.com), is perfect when you have green apples, but are too lazy to make an apple pie (not that I speak from experience or anything).

There’s something about the flavor of this cake that I can’t pinpoint, but that is so unique and yummy. The cake stays super moist and the chunky apples make it hearty. Great for breakfast or dessert (or anytime for that matter). It’s extra good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Preheat oven to 350*. Generously spray a Bundt pan with nonstick spray and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, then set aside. Peel, core, and cut up the apples as indicated in the ingredients list.

In an electric mixer, beat butter, vegetable oil, and sugar until pale yellow, about 2 minutes.

Add applesauce, then beat to combine.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined before adding the next egg.

Add vanilla then beat to combine. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Remove 2 Tablespoons of flour mixture then toss with cubed apples.

Add remaining dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch.

Stir in the apples.

Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan…

and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Check cake at 20 minutes- if top is turning too brown, place a sheet of non-stick sprayed tin foil on top. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan…

then run a knife along the inner rim and invert cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Fresh Apple Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2-3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch chunks (3 cups total

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Generously spray a Bundt pan with nonstick spray and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, then set aside.

In an electric mixer, beat butter, vegetable oil, and sugar until pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add applesauce, then beat to combine. Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined before adding the next egg. Add vanilla then beat to combine.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Remove 2 Tablespoons of flour mixture then toss with cubed apples. Add remaining dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch. Stir in the apples.

Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Check cake at 20 minutes- if top is turning too brown, place a sheet of non-stick sprayed tin foil on top. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then run a knife along the inner rim and invert cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

recipe from Iowa Girl Eats (iowagirleats.com). tags: cake, sweets, apple, cinnamon, applesauce

These cookies are excellent. I don’t even know if “cookie” is the correct term for them, but neither is just straight “truffle”. The only way to understand them is to eat them. So bake them (preferably right now)- you won’t be sorry. And that’s all I’m saying about them.

(Oh yeah- if you notice some gaps in the process photos, it’s cause I kept forgetting to take pictures- oops.)

Preheat oven to 375* Lightly grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Blend in vanilla and chocolate.

At low speed, blend in flour and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape into 1-inch balls; place on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake at 375* for 10 minutes; cool.

In small bowl, combine 1/4 powdered sugar and cocoa.

Roll cooled cookies in cocoa mixture. If you wanted to get really fancy, you could put the cookies in those little mini cupcake wrappers. That would look really cute and professional.

Yummy!

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup softened cookies

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 oz. (1 square) unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375* Lightly grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Blend in vanilla and chocolate. At low speed, blend in flour and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape into 1-inch balls; place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 375* for 10 minutes; cool.

In small bowl, combine 1/4 powdered sugar and cocoa. Roll cooled cookies in cocoa mixture. If you wanted to get really fancy, you could put the cookies in those little mini cupcake wrappers. That would look really cute and professional.

Jordan

One of our friends told us that “those were the best cookies I’ve ever eaten”-  need I say more? Probably not, but I will anyway. These cookies are delicious! They eliminate the need to choose between making peanut butter cookies or chocolate chip cookies- why choose when you can have both?

The interesting thing about them is that instead of actual peanut butter, they have peanut butter chips- this gives them a more subtle peanut butter flavor. It adds a richness more than anything. For some reason, the peanut butter chips actually add a little bit of  a coffee undertone- which is always a plus!

I made a batch of these cookies the other day for Youth Group, and they all really liked them. My family on the other hand, wasn’t so thrilled. There was much moaning and groaning upon being told that in order to have enough for Youth Group, they were each limited to one cookie. Don’t you feel sorry for them? Because, as you know, we never, ever bake delicious treats just for them 😉

Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup softened butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Jordan

We have all kinds of derogatory names for this dessert that I won’t mention, because this is the best dessert ever and so easy! There was a mom who made this dessert for a Boy Scout event about five years ago and I have cursed her name since that fateful day. This dessert is the reason I have to go to boot camp four days a week- not really, but this dessert is incredible!

Try it and don’t worry that it seems like you are just using a bunch of packaged/artificial ingredients cuz you are, and it is good. That’s why God made Cool Whip anyway – for healthy desserts like this. This is the perfect breakfast food since it has bananas, cream cheese, and milk so don’t worry if you don’t finish the huge pan the day before, it is awesome for breakfast!

Melt butter in 9 x 13″ pan.Pour in the crushed graham crackers and sugar.

Mix well,

and then press into pan.

Arrange sliced bananas on crust.

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth…

gradually beat in milk…

and add pudding mixes.

Beat until well blended – but don’t worry if you see some cream cheese globs, it’s fine.

Spread pudding mixture over the banana slices.

Spread Cool Whip over pudding.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until ready to serve. It’s good the next day, but after a couple days the bananas start getting sort of funky, so eat it for breakfast!

^^We took this picture the day after we made it, and you can see that some of the bananas are already turning a little brown- but that didn’t affect the taste of the dessert. 

Faux Banana Cream Pie
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 1 1/2 packages, crushed in food processor)
2 T sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 bananas, sliced
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened (I use low fat)
2 packages instant vanilla pudding, 4 serving size
3 1/2 cups milk ( I use 1%)
1 8 ounce tub Cool Whip, thawed

Melt butter in 9 x 13″ pan. Pour in the crushed graham crackers and sugar. Mix well and then press into pan. Arrange sliced bananas on crust. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth, gradually beat in milk and pudding mixes. Beat until well blended – but don’t worry if you see some cream cheese globs, it’s fine. Spread pudding mixture over the banana slices. Spread Cool Whip over pudding. Refrigerate 3 hours or until ready to serve. It’s good the next day, but after a couple days the bananas start getting sort of funky, so eat it for breakfast!

tags: dessert, sweets, Cool Whip, bananas, cream cheese, pie, graham crackers