Two Delicious Banana Desserts

You know how it is with intentions, we usually have the best of them and so it was with a recent trip to the store.  Daughter, Kathy, and I were in the store to pick up a few items from a list but she kept walking around picking up items and saying “my girls love this.”  One of these items was a bunch of bananas and to my knowledge they were never touched at home and were soon in a need-to-be-used state.

Bev went searching for recipes and found one at King Arthur for Double Chocolate Banana Bread, which she made into muffins as follows:

Ingredients:

1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons King Arthur All-Purpose Baking Cocoa, or Dutch-process cocoa

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) soft unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)

1/2 cup cold sour cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, chocolate mini chips preferred

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 3 1/4" x 5 3/4" mini loaf pans, or one 9" x 5" loaf pan (Bev made ??” muffins).

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

4. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla, banana, and sour cream.

5. Gently mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips until well incorporated.

6. Pour the batter into the pan(s) and bake for 45 to 60 minutes (bake for the shorter time for two mini loaves or muffins and the longer time for the larger loaf), until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Remove the bread(s) from the oven, and allow to rest in the pan(s) for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

She served them with a dollop of whipped cream and they were delicious.

For the second dessert, she choose Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Pie also from King Arthur.

Ingredients:

CRUST

2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (Bev used Graham crackers)

1/4 cupconfectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FILLING

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

4 large bananas, sliced

mini peanut butter cups, for decorating

Instructions:

1. To make the crust: Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter.

2. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

3. Line the crust with parchment and pie weights (or uncooked rice or beans), and bake for 10 minutes, just until set. Remove from the oven, lift out the parchment and weights, and cool completely.

4. To make the filling: Combine the peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, beating until light and fluffy.

5. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.

6. Fold a quarter of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, to lighten it slightly; then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

7. To assemble the pie: Place about half the banana slices atop the crust.

8. Spread half the filling over the bananas.

9. Top with another layer of bananas, and the remaining filling

10. Decorate the top of the pie with additional cookie crumbs, and/or mini peanut butter cups.

11. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

The pie was also very good (although I'm sure it would have been better with the chocolate crust) and these were the perfect treats for Kathy as she is my kid who goes to a restaurant, orders her meal and when it comes she takes a few bites then asked for a box and the dessert menu.  I would request both of the treats again.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/27/16 meal date