Desserts

Chocolate molten lava cake
~The first time I've ever made molten lava cake was from a box. I said to myself "Self, you need to find a recipe for this yummy thing and make it from scratch.." Well, it's taken me awhile but I finally found one!!

4 T real butter (softened)
1/3 C sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 C flour
1/4 t salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate*, melted
*8 ounces is about 1 1/3 C of bittersweet chocolate chips. Make the 1/3 cup a little over-full and you should be good

Additional Ingredients:
powdered sugar for dusting
sweetened whipped cream for serving
butter and sugar for preparing pans (I used ramekins 4-6..depending on the size of ramekins)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare pans, use your fingers (or the butter wrapper) to rub butter in the muffin tins or ramekins. Sprinkle in some granulated sugar to coat the entire inner surface and tap out any extra discard.

In a bowl with a mixer beat the 4 T butter and 1/3 C sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and salt and slowly add it into the butter mixture just until combined. Stir in melted chocolate by hand, just until combined. Don’t over mix.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups or ramekins and then place them on a baking sheet. (If using ramekins you’ll want them not quite 3/4 full)

Bake just until tops of cakes no longer jiggle when pan is lightly shaken, about 8-10 min for a muffin pan, and 10-12 for ramekins. Remove from oven and let stand 10 min. You can serve them right out of the ramekins or run a knife around the edge and flip it over...Top with fresh fruit and dust powdered sugar (optional)...I like it with vanilla bean ice cream too!


Frozen grasshopper torte

4 cups crushed chocolate cookies (about 40)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 pint vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
1/4 cup milk
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Few drops green food coloring
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Set aside 1/4 cup for garnish; press remaining crumbs onto the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan, two 9-in. pie plates or a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Chill for 30 minutes. Spread ice cream over crust. Freeze. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine milk and marshmallow creme; stir until well blended. Add extract and food coloring. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon over ice cream and spread evenly. sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Freeze until firm.


Cinnamon or Lemon pecan twist
~ If you want to make cinnamon twist, omit the lemon peel/juice. Sprinkle ground cinnamon over brown sugar mixture instead.

12 Rhodes Texas size Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
1/2 cup chopped pecans (for cinnamon twist, if you don't like pecans, you can use raisins instead...or if you like both, i'd say go for it!)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
4-5 teaspoons lemon juice (if you're doing cinnamon twist, substitute lemon juice for milk + 1 tsp. vanilla extract)

Directions:

Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Roll combined rolls into a 24×9-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10-15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar and lemon peel. Remove wrap from dough and brush middle third with half of the softened butter. Sprinkle buttered area with half of the brown sugar mixture. Fold one of the remaining dough thirds over filling. Brush folded dough with remaining butter. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture. Fold remaining dough third over filling (basically, imagine looking at a piece of paper that is divided into thirds (facing 24in wide). Pinch edges to seal. Cut into 8 equal strips (about 1-inch each). Hold each strip at both ends and twist in opposite directions 2 or 3 times. Place on a sprayed baking sheet. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 30-45 minutes. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden on top and bottom. Combine icing ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over twists.

Cherry or Blueberry Turnovers

1 can of cherry pie filling (or your favorite pie filling)
1 box of puff pastry sheet (2 sheets-makes 8)
egg wash or water for glue

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tbs. vanilla
carefully add a couple of tablespoons of water or milk.

Make sure puff pastry is thawed, not frozen (make sure it's cold). Cut a sheet of pastry into four equal squares (pizza cutter is the best). Place 2 tbs of filling into each center of each square. Use the egg wash or water to seal the edges until it's moist. Fold over into a triangle. Take a fork and crimp the edges to seal. Prick holes on the top with the fork to allow the steam to vent. Place them on a lined cookie sheet. Brust it with egg wash. Re-prick your holes again so they aren't filled with the egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees until nice and golden brown on the top and bottom.

Mix the glaze until all the lumps are gone. You want a consistency that you can easily drizzle,
over the tops of the baked turnovers. If your glaze is too runny….add more powdered sugar.
If your glaze is too thick, add more water or milk… Drizzle glaze on top while the turnovers are still warm :)

Funnel Cakes
~YUM! I LOOOOOOOOVE me some funnel cakes! Growing up, my family and I would go to Disneyland every year for my birthday (it fell on Memorial weekend)...it was only a 4 hour drive from where we lived. We also had theme parks less than an hour drive from our home. With all these trips to theme parks, we never passed on funnel cakes. It is our absolute favorite!! I know my family would love this recipe and I hope you do too!

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups vegetable oil
Fresh or frozen fruit
cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar and the milk. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture. Beat with a mixer until smooth; the consistency should be thin enough to run through a small kitchen funnel. Test it and if it is too thick beat in a little more milk; if too thin, beat in a bit more flour. In an eight inch skillet, heat the oil to 360 degrees. Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel, and fill the funnel with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a circular motion. Fry until golden brown, use tongs and wide spatula to turn the cake over carefully. Fry the second side 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Top with fruit and sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.


Peach and Raspberry crumble

FOR THE FRUIT:

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries or Raspberries (1/2 pint)

FOR THE CRUMBLE:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
*I also added 1/2 cup of Oatmeal

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups. You could also use a 9×13 glass dish as well.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.


Cream Puffs
~Make the cream filling first.

Makes 12 – 13 medium sized cream puffs

1 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup flour
5 large eggs (4 for the dough and one for an egg wash)*

Directions:

Heat the first four ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium high heat just until the milk starts to boil. Lower the heat to low and then dump in all the flour at once and stir with a wooden spoon. The dough will pull together. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring the ball of dough around, so that it dries out. Remove the dough and place it either in the bowl of a stand mixer or the bowl of a food processor and let the dough cool off for a few minutes.

Line a baking sheet with either a Silpat or parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time. It’s important that you let each egg incorporate fully into the dough before adding the next one. The dough will look curdled and weird – don’t worry about it. After all four eggs are added, mix until the dough forms a nice paste consistency. It will be very loose, not at all like a bread dough. (If you do not have either a mixer or some kind or a food processor, you can beat in the eggs one at a time with a spoon. It just is a little more work).

Pipe the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large tip. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can just spoon the dough onto the baking sheet. Pipe the dough into mounds about 2 to 2-1/2 inches wide. Beat the egg for the egg wash with just about a tablespoon of water. Brush the mounds of pastry dough lightly with the egg wash.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 25 minutes, or until the puffs are a nice golden brown. Turn off the heat and open the oven door a few inches and let the puffs sit in the turned off oven to dry out for about 30 minutes.

Cream Filling

1 small box of Instant Vanilla pudding
1 1/3 cups of Cold Water
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
(like Eagle Brand – not evaporated milk)

Mix above ingredients together with a Wire Whip.
Set in fridge to Cool, for 15 to 20 minutes.
This will set up and be quite firm.

Now fold in:
2 1/2 cups of Cool Whip.
Cover and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

--Once the puffs are cool and ready to fill, just split them with a sharp knife. I like to make the bottom a little bigger. With a piping bag or with a spoon, fill your puffs! Put the top of the puff back on and dust some powdered sugar!

Chex mix cereal clusters

2 cups Sugar
1 3/4 cups light Karo syrup
1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)
1/2 Cup Margarine (1 stick)
1 Cup Whipping Cream
1 cups sliced almonds or other nut
2 tsp. pure vanilla

Bring sugar, karo syrup, butter & margarine to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Make sure that sugar is well dissoved, then stir in the whipping cream, & stir often while boiling.
Cook to a soft ball stage – 234° or until a small amount of syrup dropped into chilled water forms a SOFT BALL . Remove from heat & add 2 teaspoons good vanilla and sliced almonds.

Pour caramel mixture over:

5 cups rice chex
5 cups corn chex
5 cups kix cereal
5 cups rice crispies or cherrios


Mix the caramel and cereal together in large bowl. Pour out onto 2 lg. buttered cookie sheets. Let cool completely.


"Caramel Peach Cobbler"
~This recipe is very different from the bottom recipe. One thing I know for sure, you'll love both of them!

Cobbler dough:

1 stick (4 oz) butter, but into cubes and at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon pure Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole Milk

Using a hand or stand mixer, mix together butter and sugar on a low speed until creamy.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour and baking powder.

Add the vanilla extract, salt, milk, and half the flour mixture to mixer, continuing to mix on low speed.

Add remaining flour mixture and mix until well blended.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before using.

To use juicy cobbler dough in a recipe, scoop out with a large spoon and place circles of dough over fruit filling.

CARAMEL PEACH FILLING:

YOU WILL NEED:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup Caramel Sauce
4 cups sliced peaches/raspberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon in 2 quart saucepan.

Stir in peaches, Caramel Sauce, lemon juice and vanilla. cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 2 quart casserole. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto hot peach mixture. Sprinkle Cinnamon & Sugar mixture over the dough circles.

Bake until topping is golden brown or until cooked all the way through, 25 to 30 minutes. Take from oven, and sprinkle a little more sugar over the top of biscuits topping. Serve warm with Vanilla ice cream or Whipped Cream.

"Easy Peach Cobbler"

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. sugar
pinch salt
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can sliced peaches

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a 9 inch round pan and put it in the oven while it is preheating so it can melt (be careful and watch the butter so it doesn't burn). In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla extract. When the butter is melted, take it out of the over and pour the batter over it. Drain the juice from the can peaches and spread them evenly ontop of the batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes. You will see when its done baking that the batter will rise over the peaches. Serve it with ice cream!

Too much chocolate cake
~One year, I decided to plan a surprise birthday party for daniel. Our family/friend Amy Butler insisted on making the cake. We were in for a surprise ourselves when we took a bite into this!! it's been one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes since!

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips + 1 c. for sauce
1 can sweetened condensed milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate. If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar...BUT because this is called TOO MUCH chocolate cake, I decided, why not more chocolate. So i make a chocolate sauce for the top.

Chocolate sauce:

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, add the 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Once you notice that the sweeten condensed milk starts to thin out, add the 1 cup chocolate chips (once again, i loooove me some ghirardelli, but use what you have it works the same). Note* The heated sweetened condensed milk will melt the chocolate chips once you had them in. You dont want to put them in the same time or else the chocolate will burn. Stir until the chocolate is melted and pour it over the cake. You can leave some in the saucepan for others to drizzle it on their cake...i hope this satisfy ALL your chocolate cravings!


No bake cheesecake

1 8oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla or other flavorings
1 small cool whip – 8 ounce container
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
note: Cool Whip comes in small or large containers. I used 3/4 of a large one.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:

1 - 3/4 Cups Graham Cracker crumbs
1/3 cups butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Mix crumbs, melted butter and sugar together in bowl. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of greased baking dish or desired pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Let Cool before adding Cheesecake mixture.

DIRECTIONS:

Beat the cream cheese until light & fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, white sugar and vanilla and beat until very smooth. Add the cool Whip and beat again until mixture is thick and smooth. Spread over the top of cooled Graham Cracker crust or chocolate crumb crust. Top with cherry, blueberry, lemon curd, raspberry filling, etc. Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours before serving.


Indiana Apple Pudding
~Daniel's friends came over for dinner one Sunday evening and decided they wanted to make dessert. Dinner was delish, now all we had to wait for was for the apple pudding to come out of the oven. You could smell the aroma of the apple pudding baking throughout the house...I was anxious...tapping my toes every time they opened the oven to take a peak...boy was it worth the wait!!

2 c. diced apples
1 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped nuts-I like pecans
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the apples and sugar;add egg. Sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, salt and flour; add to apple mixture and mix well. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour mixture into an 8x8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Don't forget the sauce!!

Sauce

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter or margarine
2 tbs. flour
1 c. water

Cook sauce in a medium sauce pan and pour over pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Lemon Pudding Cake

Serves 6.

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for custard cups (ramekins)
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest, (1 lemon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Butter six 6-ounce custard cups and place in a dish towel-lined baking dish or roasting pan.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, vanilla and sugar until light; whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in lemon juice, then milk and zest.

With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add to lemon batter and fold in gently with a whisk (batter will be quite liquid).

Divide batter among prepared custard cups; place baking dish in oven and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up sides of cups. Bake until puffed and lightly browned (but pudding is still visible in bottom), 20 to 25 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

*If adding crushed up frozen fruit (such as berries) to the batter, bake for 25 minutes. *If you do this, make sure that you DECREASE your milk by at least 2 tablespoons. Add Whipped Cream or Meringue to the top for added deliciousness (optional).

Meringue

3 egg whites (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch.
Directions

Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites, starting on low speed. Once whites are soft, gradually add sugar.

Increase mixer speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form (10 to 12 minutes)

Add Cornstarch and beat for another minute or two.

Transfer meringue to pastry bag and pipe on top of dessert. If you want, you can also torch the top of the meringue.


Pumpkin Cheesecake
~My sister in-law, Laura made this for Thanksgiving in 2010. It was a hit and I know you'll love it!

2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1-9" graham cracker pie crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup whipped cream

Preheat oven to 325˚. In large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs, one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside. Add pumpkin and spices to remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust. Bake in preheated 325˚ oven for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped cream before serving.

Labor Cake
~I got this recipe from a friend that lived in our building complex about a year ago...Emily Tawzer. She and I would always like to swap the different types of desserts we made. So one day, I was super bored and had nothing to do. Emily gave me this recipe and thought i'd give it a try...Well, it's called labor cake. AND you guessed it, LABOR! it is sooo chocolatey, it'll make a pregnant woman want to go into labor! so ladies if you're pregnant, don't eat this until you're about ready to have your baby!! haha no, really it doesn't do that! One thing it does is satisfy your chocolate cravings! so enjoy!

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tbs. vanilla
1 c. butter
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 c. water

-In a large bowl combine; milk, baking soda, eggs and vanilla. Add sugar and flour. Mix well.

Bring butter, cocoa, and water to boil. add the cocoa mixture slowly into the cake batter. Bake in a well greased 9x13 pan for 35 minutes.

While you are waiting for the cake to bake, you can make the frosting! Now let me tell you something that makes this cake oh so delicious...the cake batter itself isn't very sweet. So the frosting will def. even out the taste. It's the perfect frosting for this cake!

Frosting

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

-Bring butter, cocoa, milk and vanilla to a boil. Take it off the heat and add the powdered sugar slowly...you don't want to get powdered sugar everywhere! As you are slowly adding the powdered sugar, whisk it in. AND yes, use ALL 1 pound of it. TRUST ME!

Pour the frosting over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, still HOT! Cut yourself a slice and have it with some vanilla bean ice cream and MILK!

Beignets (more like Sopapillas, looks like the ones from Princess and the Frog)

1 c. whole milk
1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. table salt
3 1/2-4 c. all-purpose flour
1 scant tablespoon dry active yeast
1/2 c. warm (about 105 degrees) water
1 egg
Peanut oil for frying (if you don't have peanut oil, can also use vegetable oil)

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, 1/4 c. sugar, vegetable oil, and salt. Heat over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat.

While the milk is heating, combine the yeast and 1 Tbsp. of sugar with 1/2 c. water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until it’s very bubbly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heated milk and 2 c. flour. Mix, scraping the bowl occasionally, until smooth (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and mix until well-combined. Add the yeast mixture. Add enough flour to make a soft dough that slightly sticks to your finger.

At this point, you can either place the dough in a bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and cover with a piece of sprayed plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough up to 1 day or you can roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Either way, when you roll it out, roll it into a large rectangle about 1/4″ thick. Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into about 3″x4″ rectangles. Slightly separate the dough pieces and cover with a clean cloth. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

When the dough has about 15 minutes left to go, heat 2-3 inches of peanut oil in a large skillet or saucepan to 325 degrees (just use a candy thermometer). When the oil is heated, fry the dough pieces for about 90 seconds-2 minutes per side or until they are golden. Carefully remove from the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Place some powdered sugar in a fine-mesh strainer and sprinkle the powdered sugar generously over the beignets. Serve immediately. Makes about 24-30 beignets.


Banana Beignets (more like doughnut holes)
I found this recipe through a friend and LOVED it ever since...instead of going to the donut shop, i make these instead...be careful not to eat the whole batch! its not that hard! :)

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
1 - 1/2 cups cake flour
Note: If you do not have Cake Flour, use 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour minus 3 Tablespoons.
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 – 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 large overripe banana)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until a deep fry thermometer register 375 degrees F. (Very important to keep this temperature.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and 1/3 cups granulated sugar in a large bowl. (I added 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the mix instead of 1/4 tsp.)
Whisk the egg, milk, mashed banana and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in another bowl. Add the banana extract or vanilla.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Whisk the banana mixture into the dry ingredients just until moistened.

Working in batches, drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side. (I fried 3 -4 at a time. I used a small cookie scoop)
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, then roll in the cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. Vanilla glaze is also very good.




Peanut Butter Granola squares

1 egg white
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
2 c oats
1 stick melted butter
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1/3 c. mini chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients together. In an 8x8 baking dish spray the pan, line it with parchment paper, spray it again, and then fill it with the mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let it sit for 1 hour before you remove it from the baking dish and before you begin cutting.

Ooey Gooey Smores

2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 1/3 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
6 hershey bars
1 jar marshmallow creme
1-1 1/2 c. mini marshmallow

In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg until it looks light and fluffy. To the mixture add graham cracker crumbs, flour and salt (save 1 1/2 of this crumb mixture for topping)

Layering the toppings

-Evenly spread the crumb mixture on a 13x9 baking pan.
-hershey bars
-spread the whole jar of marshmallow creme
-sprinkle mini marshmallows
-sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Wait at least 15 minutes before you cut into them! who said you couldn't have s'mores when it's cold outside? :)


Cranberry cinnamon chip bars

1/2 C (1 stick) real butter, melted
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 C shredded coconut
1 C cinnamon chips
1 C white chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour butter into a 9×13″ pan and spread with spatula to cover the entire bottom of pan. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter and spread into an even layer. Press down gently with fingertips. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over graham cracker crumbs. Continue with the remaining ingredients: cinnamon chips, white chips, pecans, and cranberries, sprinkling each in an even layer. Press down gently with fingertips over entire pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and slightly golden on top. Let cool completely before cutting.


No bake reese's peanut butter bars

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)
2 tsp shortening

In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined. Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9×13 pan.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly. Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars.

Tip: If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through. Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp. They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.