Posts Tagged ‘bananas’
Peanut Butter Banana Bagels
May 20, 2013 | 
Author The idea for these bagels spawned from reading a post on A Beautiful Mess, where Emma mentioned that her favorite bagel was from Panera – a peanut butter and banana bagel in fact! I never had the chance to try this gem, as it has been discontinued, but decided to take on this challenge of recreating what I imagine they would have been like. The execution of making these bagels however, poses the problem of adding two wet ingredients to dough, which would just result is needing more flour. But I have made bagels using pumpkin puree in the past and therefore substituted with mashed banana and used PB2′s powdered peanut butter instead.
I had hoped for a very obvious flavor, but the result was more subtle and I may need to try folding in real peanut butter for a swirl or try peanut butter chips. Or maybe my desire for a super peanut buttery-banana-y bagel is unrealistic, and this is as close as it gets. Don’t get me wrong, these were wonderful bagels! I wouldn’t be sharing them on my blog if they were not, just not a “wow that’s an explosion of peanut butter-banana flavor”. That response might be reserved for moister items such as muffins and blondies. To compensate, these were particularly good with a smear of Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter. Peanut butter on top of peanut butter – that’s just how I roll!
Actually, I recently discovered that cake batter flavor exists, and upon searching their website while writing this post found both banana and peanut butter flavorings. I feel like it would be a cop out to use them instead of real banana and peanut butter, but maybe a couple drops would get this bagel flavor up to the next level. What are your thoughts?
Two years ago: Baked Blueberry Almond Pancakes
PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BAGELS
Makes 8 bagels
Ingredients:
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup PB2 powdered peanut butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup warm water
2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1 large very ripe banana, mashed
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine the two flours. In a large bowl, whisk together 2-1/2 cups of the flour, powdered peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk together slightly and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes or until slightly foamy.
- Add the mashed banana and mix using a dough hook, then begin to slowly add the flour mixture. Mix for 5 minutes or until smooth, alternating between slow and medium speeds as you add flour. You want to mix it until the dough is no longer sticky. After 5 minutes, if the dough is sticky, incorporate the remaining flour, a little at a time.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large bowl. Cover and allow the dough to double in size, around 1 hour.
- Remove the dough and punch it down. Divide into equal pieces. A digital scale is very helpful, but if you don’t have one just eye out 8 even pieces of dough. Press your finger through the middle of the ball, and form into a bagel shape. They will rise some more, so if you want a hole, make it bigger than the size of a quarter. Repeat with the the rest of the dough. Place on prepared baking sheet and let rest until risen but not doubled, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring 12 cups of water to a boil with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
- In batches, boil the bagels for around 20 to 30 seconds per side. Remove from water and place back on prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool before serving.
Source: Adapted from Pumpkin Bagels, inspired by A Beautiful Mess.
Posted in Bagels, Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast | 
Tags: bananas, peanut butter, whole wheat, yeast | 
15 Comments »
Strawberry Banana Granola
Today I get to branch out and guest post on The Little Ferraro Kitchen! Go over and check out this recipe for strawberry banana granola.
STRAWBERRY BANANA GRANOLA
Source: Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen.
One year ago: Raw Cookie Dough Bites
Baked Peanut Butter Cup Banana Pancakes
In the past I’ve salvaged pancakes that stick to the skillet by cooking the remaining batter in either a doughnut or muffin-top pan. But my dad and step mom gave me a griddle for Christmas so I haven’t had to get creative with my pancakes in awhile. However, I now find myself purposely baking my pancakes sometimes when I don’t want to stand over the griddle watching and flipping until all the batter is gone. When they are baked you just pop them in the oven and walk away until the timer goes off, which is exactly what I did for these peanut butter cup banana pancakes. Of course you can cook these on a griddle as well, but I was feeling lazy.
Side note: For those of you wondering about my health, I am nearly 100% recovered! Still keeping the tissues around but hopefully will be able to detach myself from them in the next couple of days.
One year ago: Cake Batter Puppy Chow
Two years ago: Homemade Olive Garden Salad and Dressing
BAKED PEANUT BUTTER CUP BANANA PANCAKES
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 medium very ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cups (I used minis)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat holes in a muffin-top pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Use a hand mixer to whisk together the banana and peanut butter.
- Mix in the baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.
- Mix in the flour and the milk. Fold in the peanut butter cups with a spatula.
- Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into the pre-greased muffin top pan holes. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops begin to turn golden brown and middles are set. Allow to cool slightly before removing carefully from pan. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve with syrup of favorite pancake toppings.
Source: Adapted from Something Swanky.
Steel Cut Oatmeal with Bananas & Cobbler Topping
After my trip to Trader Joe’s this past weekend, I have successfully inhaled three of their dark chocolate peanut butter filled cupcakes. The fourth I reluctantly decided to share with my labmates before I ended up finishing it off myself. But those three cupcakes are still sitting not-so-pretty in my belly so it’s time for some oatmeal! Because healthy things negate bad calories, right? Which is why I will later eat some s’mores cookie dough bites for dessert O:-).
One year ago: Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Smoked Paprika
Two years ago: Potica Nut Roll
STEEL CUT OATMEAL WITH BANANAS & COBBLER TOPPING
Serves 2
Ingredients:
OATMEAL
1 tsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1-1/2 cups water
Pinch salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon
TOPPING
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp rolled oats
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1 banana, sliced
Maple syrup (optional)
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in steel cut oats, coat in butter and toast lightly about 2 minutes. Stir in water and salt. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer lightly for 20 minutes, covered. Stir milk into oatmeal, cover and cook another 10-15 minutes or until oats are cooked completely. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Divide between two bowls.
- For the cobbler topping, stir all ingredients together until combined and divide into two equal portions. Top each bowl with prepared topping, bananas and maple syrup. Serve warm.
Source: Barely adapted from Lauren’s Latest.
Banana Pudding Pie
Happy Pi Day! I first made this pie for two of my labmates’ half birthdays. Half birthdays? Yes, I had missed their real birthdays two years in a row and one was evidently very unhappy about her lack of birthday treats so I made it up to them both by bringing in two different pies, this being one of them. However, the person I won over the most with this pie was our boss. He interrupted conversations about completely unrelated topics by making statements such as, “This is the best pie I’ve ever had. I must not be loyal to my family”. He then proceeded to eat a second slice and we began taking bets on when he would come back later in the day for slice #3. He did bring his wife by to have a slice herself, but he managed to restrain himself by only picking off a vanilla wafer with an excessive amount of whipped cream on it.
After that reaction, I ended up making a repeat of this pie for his birthday (not half birthday). Once gain he lost his mind and said that “if you put this pie and my mom’s black forest cake on a table, I’d grab a slice of your pie when she turned her back.” – Sshhh don’t tell! He continued to rant and rave over the fact that it had a homemade crust, homemade pudding (not banana flavored but with real bananas), and fresh whipped cream. Who knew such things could blow a person’s mind when combined together? I think it’s safe to say that if you like banana pudding you will fall in love with this pie.
Also, I’m partying by bringing this pie to the Pi Day Pie Party at Crazy for Crust today. Come check out what others are bringing!
One year ago: Flower Bouquet Cake Pops
Two years ago: Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter Pie
BANANA PUDDING PIE
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 large bananas, sliced
VANILLA WAFER CRUST
12 oz. box vanilla wafers, divided (plus more for decoration if desired)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
VANILLA PUDDING
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
4 egg yolks
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 tsp vanilla extract
WHIPPED CREAM
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- For the crust: Set aside 20 vanilla wafers; pulse remaining vanilla wafers in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until coarsely crushed (yield should be about 2-1/2 cups). Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter until blended. Firmly press on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a 9-inch pie plate.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 30 minutes or until completely cool.
- For the pudding: Whisk together sugar, flour, eggs, yolks and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 10-12 minutes or until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted.) Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic directly on top of the custard so it doesn’t get a “skin” on it. Refrigerate til completely cool. (Can be made up to a day in advance.)
- Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, whip cream on medium high speed til soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until firmer peaks form. But don’t overbeat or you’ll end up with butter!
- Assembly: Arrange half of the banana slices evenly over bottom of cooled crust. Spread 1/3 of cooled pudding over bananas, then layer with vanilla wafers. Spread 1/3 more pudding over vanilla wafers, then add the remainder of the banana slices and cover them with the last of the pudding. Spread the whipped cream over the entire pie and decorate with more vanilla wafers if desired.
- Refrigerate at least for 4 hours. Overnight is best. Consume within 2 days.
Source: Adapted slightly from Lick the Bowl Good.
Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cupcakes
I feel like my baking rate has gone down significantly, which is likely due to trying not have as many sweets lying about to tempt me. But when I saw these skinny cupcakes on Sally’s Baking Addiction, I knew they were destined to be made in my oven. After all, I never miss an opportunity for some peanut butter and chocolate lovin’. However, even thought they are titled as “cupcakes” I actually ate them more often in the morning than as a dessert. So they can either be a treatful breakfast, or a healthier dessert.
Two years ago: Irish Car Bomb Brownies
SKINNY CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL CUPCAKES
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 large very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg whites
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used 0% vanilla Chobani)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
1/3 cup peanut butter chips
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with baking cups. Set aside.
- In a large bowl stir together the banana, sugar, egg whites, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly stir into the wet ingredients, being careful not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Take 1 teaspoon of melted peanut butter and spoon it on top of the batter. Swirl it around with a knife or a toothpick. Sprinkle with peanut butter chips. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Muffins stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Source: Sally’s Baking Addiction
Posted in Breakfast, Cupcakes, Desserts, Muffins | Tags: bananas, cocoa, dark chocolate, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, whole wheat | 11 Comments »
Healthier Dark Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
When it comes to brown bananas (unlike the yellow ones in the background of the image below), muffins are the most frequent utilization. So I decided to pump up the health factor of my all-time favorite muffins, Banana Peanut Butter Cup Muffins. I used a butter substitute, reduced the sugar and used brown + natural sweetener instead of all white sugar, traded the egg for flax, used ground oats in place of some of the flour, dark chocolate instead of the mini peanut butter cups, and finished it off with a crumbly oat topping instead of coarse sugar. I kind of miss the peanut butter, but I can solve that be spreading some on while I eat it O:-).
HEALTHIER DARK CHOCOLATE CHUNK BANANA MUFFINS
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
4 Tbsp Melt buttery spread, melted (or favorite butter substitute)
1/4 cup granulated Swerve sweetener (or favorite sugar substitute)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground oats
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
TOPPING
2 Tbsp oats
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas with melted butter and sugars. Mix well. Add the flax egg and mix well.
- Sprinkle in salt, baking soda and flour. Then, gently fold in dark chocolate. Be careful not to overmix!
- In a small bowl combine the oats and brown sugar for the topping.
- Divide amongst greased muffin tins and sprinkle tops with oat topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
Source: Adapted from Eat, Live, Run.
Posted in Breakfast, Muffins | Tags: bananas, dark chocolate, flaxseed, oats, whole wheat | 6 Comments »
Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
At the gym, I always get momentarily excited when a group fitness instructor will remind us how long it is until spring break. That is until I realize I haven’t had a spring break in 5 years and probably won’t ever again. I think throughout highschool and undergrad they need to prepare you for the fact that you will no longer have those cushy months off every summer, or the weeks off at Christmas and spring time. Oh the days before responsibility.
Enough reminiscing though. It’s time to talk about bananas and how much I love baking with them. Although it’s rare that they survive long enough in my kitchen to turn brown. They are usually consumed well before that can happen, but every now and then I get smart enough to buy larger quantities in order to force the situation in which they need to be baked with. This most recent time, they were so brown that if I had waited another day they might have ended up in the trash. But instead they were transformed into these beautiful cinnamon rolls that taste just like banana bread.
Two years ago: Chicken Parmeatballs
BANANA BREAD CINNAMON ROLLS
Makes 8-12 rolls
Ingredients:
DOUGH
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, to be divided
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed (not over 116 degrees)
1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast (from 1 .25-ounce or 7 gram envelope yeast)
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch ground cardamom (optional)
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 medium overripe banana, mashed (no chunks)
1 egg
Oil for coating rising bowl
FILLING
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
Half medium banana, thinly sliced
GLAZE
2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
Directions:
- Make your dough: Melt your butter in a little saucepan. Once the butter has melted, keep cooking it over medium heat for a few additional minutes. It will bubble a lot, then take on a nutty flavor as golden bits form at the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine the warmed milk and yeast in a small bowl and set aside. After five to seven minutes, it should be a bit foamy.
- In the bottom of the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, sugars, salt and spices. Add just 2 tablespoons of your melted/browned butter and stir to combine. Add yeast-milk mixture, banana and egg and mix combined. Switch mixer to a dough hook and run it for 5 minutes on low (or knead by hand). Add more flour if necessary.
- Scrape mixture into a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 1 hour in a draft-free place; it should just about double.
- While it is rising, line the bottom of one 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and butter the sides of the pan and the paper.
- Assemble buns: Scoop dough onto a very well floured surface and flour the top of it well. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to an approximately 12×12-inch square. Brush reserved melted/browned butter over dough. Stir together remaining filling ingredients and sprinkle mixture evenly over dough and top with banana slices. Roll the dough into a tight spiral. (It’s going to make a mess because the dough is crazy soft and some stuff spills off the ends; don’t sweat it.)
- With a sharp serrated knife, using absolutely no pressure whatsoever (only the weight of the blade should land on the dough) gently saw your log with a back-forth motion into approximately 1-1/2 inch sections (for 8 rolls) or 1-inch sections (for 12 rolls).
- Place buns in prepared pan. Sprinkle any sugar that fell off onto the counter over them. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes.
- If you’re doing this ahead of time, you can now put them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, leave them out for an hour to warm up and finish rising.
- 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake them, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, you can make the glaze. Beat your cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle in milk until you get the consistency you’re looking for, either thick enough to ice or thin enough to drizzle.
- Finish your buns: Remove the plastic and bake buns for 25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Transfer pans to wire cooling racks and drizzle with cream cheese glaze, then top with walnuts.
Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast, Pastries | Tags: bananas, cinnamon, cream cheese, walnuts, yeast | 13 Comments »
Baked Banana-Pecan Oatmeal
While at the self-check out line at Kroger over the weekend, the attendant came up to me and asked in a fascinated voice, “How did you get your hair that color?” I get this question quite often (although not so many with such amazed looks on their faces), so I proceeded to say how I have to bleach my dark brown hair first in order for the purple to show up in my bangs. Apparently this answer was insufficient to her, because she still looked very confused upon asking, “But what did you dye your hair with?” My response – “Purple hair dye”. Disbelieving me she said “They make that color?”, and I secretly rolled my eyes while thinking “obviously” but instead politely said, “Yes, you can get hair dye in any color you can think of”. This shocked her, which I found amusing but it was sufficient to fulfill her curiosity as she asked no more questions. On that note, I’m going to be really bummed when I finally dye my bangs back to brown. Over the years, I have received compliments from a wide variety of ages, ethnicities, and gender about how much they like my hair. But my favorite is when little girls point and say to their moms, “Her hair is pretty!”
Just like the bangs on top of my head, this oatmeal has a sassy top. A caramelized top, not purple. And as far as baked oatmeal goes, this one retains the most moisture compared to others I have tried. Although, it is likely due to the fact that it’s mostly prepared on the stovetop and then just broiled in the oven. But who is complaining with a bowl of creamy oatmeal and caramelization?
BAKED BANANA-PECAN OATMEAL
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups steel-cut oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp whole milk (I used almond milk instead)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 firm-ripe bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick on disgonal
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
Directions:
- In a medium pot, bring 4-1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir in oats and salt and cook 1 minute. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Bring oatmeal to a simmer over medium-high. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk and vanilla. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.
- Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Top oatmeal with bananas and brown sugar and broil until bananas are caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans and serve.
Source: Everyday Food, December 2012
Nutella Swirled Banana Bread Snack Cake
Are any of you members of a gym? I am asking because even though I absolutely adore my gym (especially the group classes like Piyo and Spin), the fact that I have to call an entire month in advance if I want to freeze my account for a lower monthly rate is a bit much. Who starts planning everything they need to get done over a month before they go somewhere? Or maybe instead I should be wishing for a Lifetime Fitness near where I will be staying. Ugh, guess I’m going to be doing a lot of treadmill/outdoor running and DVD workouts.
But anyway… As I told you yesterday, I embarked on a journey through the land of Melt buttery spread for a week and this is the first of three recipes which I mentioned in the Melt Away Challenge post. It seems like I have a habit of swirling Nutella into banana-things, since it has been done before in a popular post of mine for Peanut Butter, Banana & Nutella Bars. But can you really blame me? It’s such a great addition. These cake bars can be eaten as a dessert, a snack or even breakfast if you ask me.
One year ago: Pepperoni Pizza Deviled Eggs
NUTELLA SWIRLED BANANA BREAD SNACK CAKE
Make 9 squares
Ingredients:
1 egg
1/3 cup loosely packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I used Melt)
1/3 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
1/4 cup All-Bran cereal, optional
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk egg and brown sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla extract and mashed bananas, mixing until combined. Add in flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing until the batter comes together. Add in melted butter and mix until evenly distributed.
- Remove 1/2 cup of the batter and place in a small bowl. Add Nutella and blend until incorporated. Stir in the All-Bran cereal into the plain banana batter, if desired.
- Pour the plain batter into the baking pan. Drop Nutella-banana mixture on top by spoonfuls and swirl with a knife. Bake for 20 minutes, or until center is no longer jiggly and edges are golden. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan.
Source: Adapted from How Sweet It Is.
Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast, Cakes, Desserts | Tags: bananas, bran, Nutella, whole wheat | 15 Comments »
