Banana Cornbread with Cinnamon Creamed Honey

I had this awesome idea in my head. . . Banana Cornbread.

I really wanted some Pumpkin Cornbread, but to most people, it isn't pumpkin season and it seemed more "Summery" to try a banana version.  

This is a beautiful marriage between two of my favorites, Banana Bread and Cornbread.  It has the texture of cornbread, but the flavor of banana bread.  And - it is so moist.

Plus, sometimes we just need something new to try with our over-ripe bananas.

I was going to serve it with Cinnamon Honey Butter, but I forgot to get the butter out to soften, so I grabbed the Creamed Honey out of the pantry instead.

Awesome decision :)

Have you ever had a Creamed Honey and Peanut Butter Sandwich before?  You should make one for yourself (or your kids) and you will be in for a real treat.

Creamed honey can be found by the regular honey, jam and peanut butter in your grocery store.  

This would also be AMAZING smothered in:

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Coconut Oil Honey "Butter"

I have made mini muffins and regular cornbread with this recipe and I love both.  Mini muffins are a lot easier to pack in lunches, but I like a big, thick slice of regular cornbread on a Sunday afternoon!  

Banana Cornbread  
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

1 c. cornmeal
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbl. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. mashed banana (around 2 large or 3 small)
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar; set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Pour into dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.  Pour batter into a greased 8x8-inch baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Or divide batter evenly between a mini muffin tin.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  Makes: 48 mini muffins.  

Cinnamon Creamed Honey
1/2 c. creamed honey
1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon, to taste

Stir together creamed honey and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon until well combined.  Taste and add more cinnamon, if needed.  Store at room temperature.  

"Skinny" Banana Pudding Milkshake with Chocolate Malt Whipped Cream

I use the term "Skinny" very loosely for this milkshake.  The milkshake part IS skinny since it is made with frozen bananas rather than ice cream.  I added some instant banana pudding mix to give it that yummy pudding flavor.  You could easily use sugar free pudding mix here.

Now . . . the Chocolate Malt Whipped Cream is TO DIE FOR!!!  Can you just taste it now?  Fresh whipped cream mixed with Chocolate Malt Powder and a little vanilla.  The flavor is just like a chocolate malt.  You are guaranteed to sneak many spoonfuls of this whipped cream before it makes it to the milkshake.  BUT . . . The whipped cream obviously is NOT skinny.

If you want to skip the whipped cream, you can mix the Chocolate Malt Powder directly in with the bananas and save a the calories.         

When I was younger one of my favorite breakfasts was blending a package of chocolate malt Carnation breakfast mix, milk, a banana and some ice cubes into a smoothie.  This was long before I knew that frozen bananas created a thick and creamy ice cream consistency when blended.

Chocolate Malt and Banana really is a DIVINE combo.  You will LOVE this milkshake.  Your kids will love it too and they won't even know there isn't ice cream in it.

At my local grocery store, the Chocolate Malt Powder is down the aisle with the Peanut Butter, Jam and Coffee.

You might also like:

Skinny Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

"Skinny" Banana Pudding Milkshake with Chocolate Malt Whipped Cream

From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

4 large ripe bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen

4 Tbl. instant banana pudding mix

1 tsp. vanilla extract

up to 1/2 c. milk

Chocolate Malt Whipped Cream

4 oz. whipping cream

2 Tbl. chocolate malt powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Peel ripe bananas, slice and place in an air-tight container; freeze until completely frozen.  I usually let mine freeze overnight.  Add frozen bananas to a food processor and blend until chunky.  Add the pudding mix and vanilla extract and blend until completely smooth and creamy and the consistency of soft serve ice cream.  Blend in a little milk at a time, until it reaches milkshake consistency.  Divide between two small cups and top with chocolate malt whipped cream.  Or blend chocolate malt powder directly into the bananas and skip the whipped cream.  Makes 2 small milkshakes.

For the Chocolate Malt Whipped Cream: Pour whipping cream into a chilled bowl.  Beat with a hand mixer until frothy.  Add the chocolate malt powder and vanilla and continue beating until it reaches desired consistency.  

Jenn's Notes: Make sure to use ripe bananas, or the "green" banana flavor will overpower everything. 

Linked up at Strut Your Stuff Saturday! and Saturday Night Fever

Julia's Best Banana Bread

I hop on Pinterest, see this pin and this is what it says, "People will drive 20 miles on a one-lane road for this banana bread. It usually sells out before noon and is considered by many to be the "best on the planet." Secret recipe here..."

It comes from Julia's Banana Bread Treehouse in Kahakuloa, HI

So, of course, I've gotta try it. 

It really is a delicious basic recipe, you don't even add cinnamon to this one.

I think we all need to take a vacation to Hawaii and get us some snacks at Julia's Treehouse!  Who's with me???? 
  

Julia's Best Banana Bread
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
3/4 c. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, bananas and oil until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert to a wire rack and cool completely.  

adapted from: Bon Appetite, as seen on Erica's Cannella Vita

Magnolia Bakery Famous Banana Pudding

Magnolia Bakery is a bakery that I have always dreamed of going to.  I have one of their cookbooks and I have made many treats out of it, but I always wondered if the recipes really are the same as the treats they serve in the bakery.

A few months ago I was on vacation in L.A. and discovered there is a Magnolia's down there.

Getting there was quite the adventure.

I don't know how anyone does it in California.  GPS would have to be a must in your car.  Just getting from San Diego to L.A., I counted 7 different freeways we had to merge onto and that drive was less than 2 hours.  Oh and don't accidentally get off the wrong exit, because you can't just flip around and get right back on it.  You will find yourself taking a very very long detour . . . not speaking from experience or anything :)

I have realized it is a piece of cake driving here in Utah and the traffic here is nothing.

Anyway, Magnolia's was so cute inside.  It was late when we got there and a lot of things were sold out, but I did leave with half a dozen cupcakes and of course I tried their Banana Pudding.

Their Banana Pudding is one of the things they are famous for.

It was delicious and the employee told me it really is the recipe in the cookbook.

So, I made it when I got home from vacation.  It is so light and fluffy and feels like a cloud of amazingness in your mouth.  It is sweet and the bananas and Nilla Wafers make it extra special.

I could have eaten the entire batch by myself.

Magnolia Bakery Famous Banana Pudding

adapted from: Magnolia Bakery
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk     

1 1/2 c. ice cold water

1 (3.4 oz.) box vanilla instant pudding mix

3 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 c. sliced bananas

1 (12 oz.) box Nilla Wafers

In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined.  Add the pudding mix and beat well.  Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.  It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, whip the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.  

Serve with sliced bananas and crushed Nilla wafers.  Serves: 8-10 

To serve this like Magnolia Bakery: Make three layers of Nilla Wafers, sliced bananas and pudding in a 4-5 quart capacity glass bowl.  Cover tightly and refrigerate for 4 hours up to 8 hours, but no longer.   

Jenn's Notes: Magnolia's recipe does not add vanilla extract.  I prefer to serve this as individual servings and I add the sliced bananas just before I eat it, so they don't turn brown.  

Linked up at Strut Your Stuff Saturday!

Blueberry Pancake Banana Bread or Muffins

Remember when I made Blueberry Pancake Muffins using Blueberry pancake mix?  I really liked those muffins . . . the texture, the flavor and everything.

I still haven't actually used the blueberry pancake mix for pancakes and it has still been sitting in my pantry.  It was time to get rid of it.  On the shelf right below, I had some very ripe bananas that I needed to get rid of.      

Blueberry Pancake Banana Bread was born.  I am loving using this pancake mix for bread or muffins instead of pancakes.

You might think why not just buy a muffin mix?  Well, my pancake mix was around $1.60 and I can get a few batches of muffins out of it and last time I checked at my grocery store, 1 box of muffin mix was more than that. 

I have had my super-mini loaf pan for a while, but haven't had success until now.  I finally figured it out, one ice-cream scoop full of batter is perfect.  Which is the exact amount as a muffin.

Mini loaves of bread make me happy :)  Look how cute they are.

This bread is light and fluffy and delicious.  Grab that pancake mix out of your pantry and see what flavors you can come up with.  Oh . . . and if you come up with a good one, be sure to let me know, so I can try it too.  

Blueberry Pancake Banana Bread
slightly adapted from: Krusteaz
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

2 eggs
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. mashed bananas, about 2 large
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 c. blueberry pancake mix
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Topping (Opt.)
1/4 c. sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and water.  Add the vanilla, mashed bananas and vegetable oil and whisk until well combined.  Add the pancake mix and cinnamon and mix together until just combined.  Divide batter between a well-greased regular muffin tin (or extra-mini loaf pan) or mini muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake regular muffins for 16 minutes or mini muffins for 10 minutes.  

Skinny Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

This is what you make in the Summer when you have ripe bananas and overly ripe strawberries that no one wants to eat anymore because they have mushy dark spots.  

There are so many variations of skinny ice cream using bananas, check out THIS POST for more ideas.

We have been having temperatures over 100.  Which is HOOOOTTTT.  Get me inside where it is air-conditioned is what I say. 

How do people function when it is so hot? 

You really can turn these two ingredients into a smooth and thick and creamy ice cream.  I prefer it when it is soft-serve consistency, but you can freeze it and have scoop-able ice cream if you'd like.

Skinny Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

3 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
1 1/2 - 2 c. strawberries, hulled
1/8 tsp. almond extract, opt.

Slice bananas and place in an air-tight container and freeze overnight.  Add frozen bananas (break into chunks), strawberries and almond extract to a food processor or powerful blender and process until very smooth and creamy.  It will happen, just be patient.  It will take a few minutes.  Enjoy now as soft serve ice cream or place in an air-tight container and freeze until solid; several hours. Yield: around 3 cups of ice cream.  

Jenn's Notes: For a stronger strawberry flavor, fold in chopped strawberries after blended.  Make sure and use ripe bananas or the "green" banana flavor will overpower the ice cream.

Banana Rainbow Chip Cookies

I was standing in the looooooong line at Walmart a few weeks ago and picked up a magazine to flip through when I found these cute cookies.  I love cake mix cookies and the combo of Funfetti Cake Mix, Banana Pudding and white chocolate chips sounded PERFECT.  I didn't want to buy the whole magazine, so I tried to memorize the ingredients as quickly as possible.  Is that Bad?  Don't judge :) But I realized it was the exact same as my Pistachio Pudding Cookies, so I didn't feel that bad. 

There was only one problem . . . there was no way I was going to get out of line to go and grab a cake mix.  So, I patiently waited until my next shopping trip, but there was another problem. . . they were completely out of Funfetti cake mixes.  Say What?

Fast forward a few weeks and I finally picked up a Funfetti cake mix, made these cookies that night and devoured a few too many!  They are soft and chewy and I even topped them with some extra sprinkles for that  added "cuteness" factor.  

Banana Rainbow Chip Cookies
adapted from: Betty Crocker
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

1 box Funfetti cake mix
1 small box banana instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. white chocolate chips
extra sprinkles, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together the cake mix and pudding mix.  Mix in the eggs, vegetable oil and white chocolate chips.  Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls and sprinkle with additional sprinkles, if desired.  Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. 

Jenn's Notes: The extra sprinkles will add some crunch to your cookies.  So, if you just want a soft and chewy cookie, omit the extra sprinkles.  

Banana Chia Seed Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting

I don't feel guilty one bit eating a piece of this cake.

Not only does it taste INCREDIBLE, but it is loaded with healthy ingredients too.

 The entire cake (not counting the frosting) only has 2 Tablespoons of butter, not too bad.
Non-Fat Greek yogurt is loaded with protein.
Bananas are loaded with potassium.

Then, there are the Chia seeds!  From what I have read about Chia seeds, they are the new "super food."  What do you think?  Some of the benefits I have read online include:  They are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, fiber and a few vitamins and minerals.  I picked mine up in the bulk section and Winco.  It's a hit and miss though, sometimes they are all out. 

Wow - that sounds like a "health food" cake, huh?  Well, it sure doesn't taste like a "health food" cake.

After every bite, I found myself saying "OMG, this is so good."  It was amazing at room temperature and it was amazing straight out of the fridge.

It tastes great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Make it, love it!

Banana Chia Seed Cake

(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

2 Tbl. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbl. chia seeds

Vanilla Bean Frosting
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
4 Tbl. unsalted butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese
pinch of salt
1 Tbl. vanilla bean paste
   or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
milk, enough to reach desired consistency

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  For the cake: Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg, yogurt and vanilla and mix well.  Mix in the mashed banana.  Add the flour, salt, baking soda and chia seeds and stir together just until combined.  Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost.  Store leftover cake in the refrigerator. 

For the frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Add a pinch of salt and vanilla bean paste and mix until blended.  Add one cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined.  Add remaining powdered sugar and enough milk, as needed, to reach desired spreading consistency.  Beat until smooth and fluffy and spread over cooled cake.  

Jenn's Notes: This cake is divine.  If you don't want to top it with a thick frosting, a drizzle of my cream cheese icing would be amazing too.  

Banana Cake adapted from: Butteryum

Banana Cereal Treats

Is it just me, or do you ever want to try a recipe just because it sounds so weird?

I had absolutely no idea what to expect with these cereal treats, but I thought they turned out great and there are so many possibilities.

I was worried the pudding mix would make them dry, but that was not the case at all.  They turned out super ooey, gooey and chewy.  They are pretty sweet, so a small square is plenty.

 I think your kids will love them and have so much fun experimenting with new flavors.

Banana Cereal Treats

adapted from: Shugary Sweets
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

4 Tbl. butter 

1 (10.5 oz.) bag marshmallows

1 (3.4 oz.) box banana instant pudding mix

5 c. Rice Chex or Rice Krispies

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the marshmallows and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and immediately stir in the pudding mix until fully combined.  Add the cereal and stir until coated.  Press lightly into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Allow to set.  Cut into squares and serve.

Jenn's Notes: I made the recipe "as is" and it turned out great.

Banana Cinnamon Roll Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

Brace yourself for what you are about to see.

This could quite possibly be the best thing that ever happened to a banana muffin.  Not only is it an amazing idea by adding a cinnamon and sugar swirl, but adding Cream Cheese Icing too.  Oh man, divine.

The combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch will produce a similar product as when using cake flour.  Cornstarch is also used in these Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Chewy Red Velvet Cookies and I believe that is what helps them be chewy (it's their secret ingredient).  Who knew you could use cornstarch for more than just a thickening agent.  

These muffins are delicious and they are not overly sweet.  They taste great for several days and are the perfect mid-day snack at work!

You might also like:
Banana Cake Roll with Cheesecake Filling
Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Vanilla Frosting
Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes
Banana Streusel Bundt Cake

Banana Cinnamon Roll Muffins
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

2 eggs

1/4 c. canola oil

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. mashed banana (about 3 bananas)

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 Tbl. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

2 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted

1/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 Tbl. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Cream Cheese Icing

2 oz. cream cheese, softened 

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 - 1 Tbl. milk, plus more if needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and/or line muffin tin; set aside.  Whisk together eggs, oil, sugar and banana until well blended.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.  Combine all topping ingredients and divide between the muffin cups.  Use a toothpick and swirl slightly.  Bake for 22-24 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.  Allow to cool for a few minutes and carefully remove from pan.  Cool completely and drizzle with cream cheese icing.   Yield: 12 muffins.  Refrigerate any leftover muffins.    

For the icing: Microwave the cream cheese for 10-15 seconds or until very soft.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir together until smooth and creamy.  Add enough milk, as needed, to reach desired consistency to drizzle over muffins.  

Jenn's Notes: I prefer to bring my muffins to room temperature before eating.  They do not become dry after being refrigerated.  Delicious. 

Banana version from: Eat Cake For Dinner, slightly adapted from: The Teenage Taste

Banana Roll with Cheesecake Filling

Oh my goodness.  It's almost too good to be true.  This cake is spectacular.

I sat down with my plate of two slices to munch on while I typed up this post and "The Mr." wanted to taste it.  I handed him my plate and a few minutes later, he handed me back an EMPTY plate, not even a bite left for me.  Good thing we have a whole cake, because both of us LOVED this.

The flavor reminds me of banana cream pie.  The cheesecake filling is smooth and creamy and is the perfect compliment to the lightly flavored banana cake.  The recipe also suggested adding a cream cheese frosting, but I feel like that is unnecessary and it would have made the cake too heavy.  Instead, I think serving it plain or with a dollop of whipped cream is a much better idea.   

Despite the long instructions, this cake wasn't hard to make.  Most cake rolls require rolling the cake twice, but not this one!  The layers bake together which makes this an absolute breeze to put together.  The only bad part was that it dirtied quite a few bowls, but I promise, once you take a bite of this cake, you won't care if it dirtied every single bowl in your kitchen, because it is SO WORTH IT!

Banana Roll with Cheesecake Filling

adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens
(Printable Recipe) and (Printable with Picture)

Cheesecake Filling:

1 (8 oz.) + 1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

3 Tbl. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Banana Cake:

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

4 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. + 1/2 c. sugar, divided

1/2 c. mashed banana (around 1 large banana)

4 egg whites

1/4 c. powdered sugar (for sprinkling over cake)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan with butter.  Line with parchment paper and grease with butter again, making sure to coat the entire surface and sides of the pan; set aside.  For the filling: In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the egg, milk and vanilla and beat until combined.  Spread in the prepared pan; set aside.  

For the cake:  In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.  In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla on medium speed until thick and lemon colored.  Gradually add 1/3 cup of sugar and beat well.  Stir in the mashed banana.  In a large, clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium until soft peaks fork (tips curl).  Gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight)  Gently fold yolk mixture into beaten egg whites.  Gradually sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over egg mixture and fold together just until blended.  Carefully spread the batter evenly over the filling in the pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.  

Immediately loosen cake from sides of pan, sprinkle cake with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Place a wire cooling rack, upside down, on the top of the cake.  Carefully pick up both sides of the pan, while holding the rack and flip over.  The cake will now be on top of the towel on the cooling rack.  Carefully peel off parchment paper.  Starting with the short side, roll up cake as tightly as possible (don't roll up the towel with it).  Allow to cool completely on wire rack.  Slice and serve.  Wrap any leftover cake in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.  

Jenn's Notes:  I did not forget to type salt above, the recipe really did not call for any salt.  This cake is not hard to make.  Follow the instructions and I know it will work for you too.  I baked my cake for the full 20 minutes and it was perfect.  

Shortcut Banana Bread or Cake

This is another delicious recipe that is part of my review of Gooseberry Patch's Simple Shortcut Recipes

I made this recipe with an open-mind.  A bread recipe made with a cake mix?  We will see.

Yep, definitely tasted like a cake and NOT a bread, but it was a delicious cake!

It is extremely light and fluffy, that it is almost impossible to hold a piece and eat it, like you normally would with bread.  I thought it tasted great plain, but I think it would be good with a dollop of whipped cream or maybe even a thin layer of cinnamon cream cheese frosting.      

I made this recipe last Tuesday, told my friend about it on Wednesday, she made it that night and raved about it the next morning saying her husband said it was a 10 and her mom LOVED it too and she has already made it twice (she used a sugar-free yellow cake mix, 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana, less buttermilk and added some nutmeg)!  Three other people requested the recipe.  It is making the rounds.  

Shortcut Banana Bread (or Cake)

adapted from: Simple Shortcut Recipes
submitted by Jennifer Crisp
(Printable Recipe)

18 1/2 oz. pkg. yellow cake mix

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 c. banana, mashed

3/4 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine dry cake mix and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for one minute.  Increase to medium; beat an additional 2 minutes.  Divide between 2 greased and floured 9''x5'' loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Makes 2 smaller loaves.

Jenn's Notes: Since this cake is so soft, I don't know how well it would turn out of a pan (like a bundt or round pan).  I sprayed my bread pan with cooking spray and forgot to flour it and it was pretty hard to get out of the pan in one piece.   

Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Vanilla Frosting

Do you always make banana bread with your over ripe bananas?  

You should switch things up a bit and make these cookies!

They were so good!

Both kids and adults will love these.

I found these cookies over at Chef-In-Training and she got this recipe from her Grandmother, so that tells you this is a tried-and-true recipe.  Grandma's recipes are always the BEST.  

I made some plain ones, some frosted ones and some with chocolate chips.  I absolutely loved both the plain ones and the ones with frosting, but I didn't care too much for the chocolate chip ones.  So, stick to the original recipe and I know these will become a new family favorite.

Banana Cookies

adapted from: Chef-In-Training 

(Printable Recipe)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. shortening

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 egg

1 3/4 c. quick oats

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sift together dry ingredients; cut in shortening.  After shortening is completely cut in, add bananas, egg and oats.  Stir together until combined.  Spoon drops onto a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.  

Frosting:

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1-3 Tbl. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

4 c. powdered sugar

pinch of salt

Whip butter until fluffy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar.  Add enough milk to reach desired consistency.  Add the vanilla and salt and mix until combined.  Spread over cooled cookies. 

Jenn's Notes: If you don't want the frosting, I thought these were delicious plain.  I loved the flavor and the texture of these.  I think I got around 36 cookies from a full batch.  I baked mine for 11-12 minutes and they were perfect.  I have not tried this, but some people have said they used applesauce instead of the shortening and they turned out great.