almond joy cookies

My friend Rose and I went out for a quick dinner the other night at Great Harvest, a local soup and sandwich kind of place. As part of our meals, we could pick a cookie. They were specialing a new cookie that they called an Almond Joy Cookie. We thought they were pretty scrumptious, and I thought I could easily duplicate the idea. So I did. And they were yummy. I took them to a work party, and they were quite a hit. Hooray! This recipe's a keeper.

It's basically just an oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips, almonds and coconut added in.  Any yummy oatmeal cookie recipe should work.  But for my own benefit and for future reference, this is the recipe I used. 

RECIPE: Almond Joy Cookies

Yield: 

3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 c. butter, soft

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. water

1 tsp vanilla

1 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 c. uncooked oats

1 bag (2 c?) chocolate chips

1 c. slivered almonds

4 oz shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Beat together butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla until creamy. Add flour, salt and soda. Mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, almonds and coconut. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet/stone. Bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes. 

the very best banana bread muffins

 

This recipe came from Pam of For the Love of Cooking, who got it originally from Shelley from AllRecipes. I basically followed Pam's recipe, but I was generous with my spice measurements and lazy in my preparation (and I made muffins instead of loaves). Still, they turned out AMAZING!! Seriously, my favorite banana bread recipe so far! Buttery and moist without being too dense or greasy... fantastic rising... perfection. I will definitely be making these again...and soon!

RECIPE: The Very Best Banana Bread Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter, softened

3/4 c (packed) brown sugar

2 eggs

4 overripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease your muffin tin(s). In a large bowl {or Kitchenaid mixer!} beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, bananas, and vanilla until creamy. Then add the dry ingredients and mix (don't over mix). Pour/spoon the batter into your muffin tin(s). Bake for 25ish minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

** Links to original recipe(s):

http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2011/02/banana-banana-bread.html

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/20144/banana-banana-bread

bananas foster

I first had Bananas Foster at a Relief Society activity. The recipe was my friend Belinda's. I swear I wrote the recipe down somewhere, but when I searched for it this morning, it was nowhere to be found. I searched online, but none of the recipes sounded right. So I improvised. And it. Was. Delish.

If you've never tried Bananas Foster on waffles, you're in for a treat! Seriously, who knew waffles could be so rich and amazing? Give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

RECIPE: Bananas Foster

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, cubed

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

3 bananas, sliced

vanilla extract

rum extract

cinnamon

nutmeg

Directions:

In a frying pan over med-high heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Bring mixture to a bubble. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Continue to bubble for 2ish minutes. Add sliced bananas, stirring to coat. Add a tiny splash of vanilla, followed by 4ish drops of rum extract. Stir to combine. Continue to bubble and stir for a minute then remove from heat.

Serve warm over waffles, ice cream, or whatever suites your fancy. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip if desired, adding nuts for crunch and/or sprinkling with more cinnamon for aesthetics. Eat up and enjoy!