Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ok no clever title for this blog entry. I’m just not feeling very witty at the moment. It happens believe it or not! lol

Anyway, I finally reached that moment in my life that when I had leftover, overly ripe bananas, I actually made something with them instead of throwing them out like I usually do. And man, have I been missing out all these years! I pledge from this day forward to always use up my old bananas and make them into something yummy.

I’m not sure who this Aunt Mary is, but whoever she is, she sure knows how to make a banana bread!

Aunt Mary’s Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread
Source:Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 bananas, mashed (I used 3 since thats how many I had and it seemed silly to use 2 and throw out the other one)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice*

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and shortening (butter). Beat in eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice and bananas until thoroughly blended.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon into a greased 9-in.x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until the bread tests done with a wooden pick.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*I added this to the recipe as I thought I would use it up and thought it would go great with this bread. Pumpkin pie spice consists of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. If you don’t have it, a combination of whichever of these spices you have on hand will be fine.

So somehow I ran across this band online called Paramore. For all I know they’re super famous and on MTV like a million times a day but I don’t have a tv and don’t listen to the radio so I have no clue. But I found that I couldn’t get their music out of my head…

I’m not usually into pop-punk stuff. I like my 70′s, 80′s and even early 90′s punk. None of this ridiculously clean, overly compressed, overly processed recordings you get nowadays. But man, this song is so darn catchy that I had to buy their album off of iTunes just so I could stop watching the video on youtube lol

They’re front woman Hayley has an amazing voice (and amazing hair!) and apparently her live singing sounds just like it does on the recording.

Check out Misery Business, the song I can’t seem to get out of my head…

Dark, Indulgent Chocolate Brownies

I love brownies and so far this is my favorite recipe. They’re really rich and chocolatey and make a really fudgey, chewy brownie. They’re best served warm with a scoop of ice cream or just with a cold glass of milk.

I use Cadbury’s milk chocolate as this is my husband’s favorite kind of chocolate and I use Green and Black’s Organic cocoa powder which, in my opinion, adds to the richness and gives it a slightly more complex flavor but I’m no expert, just a chocoholic

Dark, Indulgent Chocolate Brownies
Source: “Mary Berry’s Ultimate Cake Book” by Mary Berry Published by BBC Worldwide Ltd 2003

Ingredients:

12 oz of chocolate, broken into pieces
8oz or 2 sticks of butter or margarine
1 teaspoon of instant coffee*
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons of hot water
3 extra large eggs
1 cup of super fine/caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 oz or 6 Tablespoons of self-raising flour
8 oz of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9 inch baking tin.

Melt the chocolate slowly in a bowl with the butter or margarine over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool. Dissolve the coffee and the cocoa with 2 Tablespoons of the hot water.

In another bowl, mix together the coffee, cocoa, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour and chocolate chips, and then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until firm to the touch and a dull crust has formed. Leave to cool in the tin. When the brownies have completely cooled, cut into squares.

*This is a modification. The original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of coffee. But that sort of put me off cause I didn’t want it to have an overly coffee taste to it so I added the teaspoon of cocoa powder instead. But the one teaspoon of coffee definitely adds to the richness of the flavor.

The Infamous BBFCCC’s

I first learned of these cookies over at the What’s Cooking board on the The Nest. I thought I’d give them a go because people kept ranting and raving about them. Well, I have to agree. These are probably the best soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies I’ve had.

Just a little tip-refigerate the cookie dough for about an hour before cooking them. Along with some baking trays. This keeps the cookies from spreading out too much.

Best, Big, Fat, Chewy, Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.