Lovin' From the Oven

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

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I was walking through the grocery store for baking ingredients the other day and walked right past the floral section. That got me thinking… Who was the first boy that gave me flowers? As I pondered it for the next 5 aisles, my mind drew a complete blank. I had no idea who it was! I still don’t know who it was!
Funny thing is, I remember every detail about the boy that gave me my first cookie. It just goes to show you: the way to a woman’s heart might be the same as a man’s— through her stomach!
Cookies, brownies, cupcakes… you name it, I’ll eat it all. These cupcakes were a tad bit dry and could’ve used some oil or another banana to give it some moisture, but besides that, peanut butter and banana go together like milk and cookies. It’s meant to be. The frosting is very thick and decadent… definitely not for the light-hearted. Mix it with a light cupcake, though, and you’ve got yourself a winner!
From Framed Cooks, who got it from Bon Appetit.

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
  • Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)
  1. Preheat to 350°F and line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
  2. Mash bananas with fork until smooth. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla.
  3. In another bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) until incorporated.
  4. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).
  5. Bake cupcakes until toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and cool completely.
  6. Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Beat mixture until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes and enjoy!

Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

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The grand opening weekend at work is finally over! It has seriously been one hectic work week. I even managed to sleep 12 hours one night after working for 12. I didn’t even know that I was capable of sleeping for that long!
Exciting news… I’ll be visiting Paris in April with my family! Finally, I’ll be able to eat macaroons and bread and butter, galore. I cannot wait! Anyone have any recommendations for must sees/go to places in Paris?
This bread came out a bit dry, but the taste was all there. I’d add an extra banana or some yogurt to the batter next time. It sure did turn out looking beautiful, though! Usually in Nutella baked goods, you can never taste the Nutella. But you can definitely taste them in this bread! The recipe comes from recipe girl.
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
  • 1/3 cup plain low fat yogurt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking soda & salt. Set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and mix well. Add banana, yogurt and vanilla; beat until blended. Next, blend in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
  4. Microwave the Nutella for about 15 seconds until soft. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir together.
  5. Take turns spooning the nutella batter and the plain banana batter into the loaf pan. Swirl the batters with a knife.
  6. Bake the batter for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

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I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween! I spent mine at home, handing out candy to all the little (and not so little) trick or treaters. I also ended up watching “Isolation” with my DB. Yes, another bad scary movie to feed my guilty pleasure. Actually, the movie was quite enjoyable… despite the fact that it’s about cows having killer mutant babies.

Did anyone watch the premiere of The Walking Dead? I can’t get enough of it! I am desperately counting the days until Sunday again, when I can finally see the next episode. Zombies are just so intriguing to me.
My DB’s biggest fear is actually the zombie apocalypse (not that it’s ever really going to happen). When he was little, he used to shower with goggles on so that no one could sneak up on him without him seeing first. He’s gonna kill me for writing that, but it’s just too cute not to share.

These banana bars were a huge hit at work. Banana’s always a safe bet when bringing something to a group event. They were moist, had a wonderful topping, and kept people coming back for seconds. This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit. Bon appetit!

  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • about 4 mashed bananas
  • 3 tablespoons buttermilk
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside.
  3. Mix the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Set aside.
  4. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in a separate bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk.
  5. Add dry ingredients and blend well.
  6. Spread half of batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel.
  7. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

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