Banana nut muffins



What I had:

• 1 ¹⁄₈ cup all purpose flour
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2   overripe bananas
• ¹⁄₂ cups sugar
• ¹⁄₄ & ¹⁄₈ cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• ¹⁄₂ cup pecans, chopped (optional)

What I did:

• Mixed the flour, baking powder, salt & cinnamon in a bowl
• Mixed the bananas, sugar, egg & coconut oil using a hand mixer in a second bowl
• Poured the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mixed well
• Stirred in the pecans
• Divided the mix into 12 muffin cups
• Baked for 29 minutes at 375 degrees
• Let cool for 10 minutes before attacking them

Poppy seed dessert

So, what I really wanted was to use this poppy seed cake and pie filling and make something sweet. I had cream cheese, and I thought I could use Pillsbury crescents and do something. I also had some raisin bread, so I cut slices of that, put the topping on it and baked. They were all delicious, but if you are going to use the crescent dough, use the entire filling. It might look like it's going to overflow, but it won't trust me. I wish I had more filling in there.

Filling:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 can Solo poppy seed pie and cake filling
• 8 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 2 cups chopped pecans

Mix the sugar and cream cheese till soft, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Top on slices of sweet bread and bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

Or you can do this with the Pillsbury crescent dough:

• Roll out the crescent roll dough and pinch all seams shut.
• Spread filling down lengthwise in the middle. Left an inch on each side.
• Cut 1/2 inch thick strips on both sides of the filling.
• Folded the strips over the filling, overlapping them a little.
• Baked at 400 for 12 minutes.

Finish it off before anybody else can get their grubby little hands on any ;-)
 

I love the taste of the poppy seed filling, and I am trying to think of other ways to use. In those pre-made phyllo dessert cups. Inside a cake. With a spoon. The possibilities are endless.

 

Gluten free sweet potato cookies

Adapted from here.

What I had:

• 1/2 cup of almond Butter
• 1/2 cup of pureed sweet potato (I threw it in the microwave for 6 minutes, then peeled it)
• 1/4 cup local wild honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of real salt
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup mixed chopped pecans and macadamia nuts

What I did:

• Turned the oven on at 350 degrees
• Mixed all ingredients till well integrated
• Threw a heaping tablespoon mix each on a silicone baking mat
• Baked for 15 minutes
• Burnt my tongue tasting one
• Let the rest cool

They are pretty good, dense, chewy, crunchy, sweet without any sugar in them.

Toffee squares

What I had:

• Wilton brownie squares silicone pan
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup white chocolate dipping wafers, melted
• 1 cup unblanched whole almonds
• some somewhat finely ground pecans

What I did:

• Placed 3 almonds in each cavity of the brownie pan.
• Put butter, margarine, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
• Brought it to a boil while stirring continuously.
• Continued stirring like a mad woman for 6.5 minutes (or till candy starts to brown a bit and thickens, coming off the sides of the pan). Jeff jumped in for a minute when my arm started to hurt.
• Used a tablespoon scoop to scoop into each cavity over the almonds.
• Let it cool completely before popping them out.
• Taste tested one, shared with Jeff. Taste tested another from the other side just to make sure.
• Melted the wafers in the microwave.
• Dipped one side of the toffee in the chocolate and pressed it into the ground almonds.
• Tasted one more and decided to let the chocolate set.
• Tasted another after the chocolate set just to make sure it was still good.
• Put the rest in an airtight container and in the fridge to avoid more tasting.

Delicious almond toffee dipped in white chocolate and crushed pecans

I'll get consistent next time :-P