Easy Banana Cupcakes

I'd like to introduce you to one of the simplest and tastiest cupcakes I have ever made! I will admit I did cheat a little bit with this recipe and started with a box mix (everything can't be from scratch these days with an 11 month old on the go), but throw in some bananas, sour cream and vanilla and you can't even tell this cakes not from scratch! I was inspired to do banana cupcakes for two reasons...I was cleaning out/organizing my bazillion cupcake liners and discovered these adorable yellow and green polka dot ones and immediately thought..bananas, and since Sam is a banana lover these days, well we've always got a bunch laying around that get pretty ripe before we can eat them all up!

I'm sharing all the details and recipe for these super easy Banana and Cream Cheese Cupcakes over on Half Baked-The Cake Blog! So head on over and check them out! And while you are there you have got to see Carrie's amazingly beautiful Speckled Egg Cake. It is absolutely the most perfect spring or Easter cake to create for your family this year! She shares step-by-step instructions and photos on how using a bit of cocoa powder can turn your robin's egg blue cake into a speckled masterpiece in no time! It really looks like a fun technique and one I'm excited to try! So I hope you will give these banana cupcakes and Speckled Egg Cake a try!

Happy Baking!

Mixed Fruit Popsicles

There is only one word to describe the weather in Mobile lately....H - O - T !!!!! I thought Memorial Day weekend was hot with the temperatures reaching 97 degrees but today things only got hotter...we hit 100 degrees...that's right 100! Don't believe me, I have proof on my iphone from about 4:30ish this afternoon! It looks like summer is here to stay!

So to keep cool on those blistering hot days I have created some homemade fruit popsicles! Making popsicles is super easy, only requires a few ingredients, and they are delicious and healthy! Let's just say these are going to be a staple in my freezer for the next few months! If you are looking for that perfect sweet to take to a summer picnic, birthday party or family reunion a homemade fruit pop is the way to go...they are no fuss, can be made days in advance, and don't require any baking just a large bowl and a spoon to mix with!

To make homemade popsicles you only need 3 things:
-3 oz Dixie paper cups
-wooden popsicle sticks
-fruit/juice combination of your choicce

One of my all time favorite frozen treats is frozen lemonade so I knew for sure lemons were going to be an ingredient in my pops. I decided to pair lemons with some pureed strawberries to create a Strawberry Lemon popsicle! At first glance you think you are just going to be tasting strawberries but one lick on this pink pop and the tang of the lemon hits your tongue, yum the ultimate summer flavor!

After talking to my mom and telling her my plan to make homemade popsicles to take to our friends Memorial Day party she told me how her mom (my grandmother) used to make popsicles all the time using bananas, pineapple and orange juice. Since I happened to have all 3 of those fruits on hand I figured I would go ahead and make a second pop flavor, Banana Pineapple Orange. I really enjoyed these flavors and the texture of the crushed fruit reminded me of eating a frozen fruit bar you would normally find at the grocery store!

Both flavors were delicious and very refreshing, but I think my favorite was the Strawberry Lemon. I just love the tartness from a lemon!

Strawberry Lemon Popsicles (makes 18)

-2 cups water
-1 cup sugar
-4 cups strawberries, sliced then pureed
-4 lemons, juiced
-18 Dixie paper cups (3 oz)
-18 popsicle sticks

• Mix water and sugar in small pan on the stove over medium heat stirring until sugar is dissolved to create a simple syrup. Place syrup in refrigerator to cool.
• Slice strawberries and place 4 cups of berries into food processor to puree.
• Mix the simple syrup, strawberry puree and the juice from 4 lemons into a bowl and stir until combined.
• Place paper cups onto a baking sheet so easy to transport pops to the freezer.
  
• Pour fruit mixture into paper cups, filling about 3/4 full.
  
• Place a popsicle stick in the center of each cup and place pops into the freezer.
• Chill for 4 hours.
• Gently peel away paper cup from popsicle and enjoy!
  

Banana Pineapple Orange Popsicles (makes 18)

-2 bananas, mashed
-1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice
-2 cups orange juice
-18 Dixie paper cups (3 oz)
-18 popsicle sticks

• In a large bowl mash bananas. Add can of crushed pineapple and orange juice and stir until combined.
  
• Place paper cups onto a baking sheet so easy to transport pops to the freezer.
  
• Pour fruit mixture into paper cups, filling about 3/4 full.
  
• Place a popsicle stick in the center of each cup and place pops into the freezer.
• Chill for 4 hours.
• Gently peel away paper cup from popsicle and enjoy!

*Note: If your sticks do not stand straight up in the fruit mixture, allow the mixture to chill for about 20-30 minutes and then reposition the sticks. I noticed that if some of the pops do not have as many fruit chunks in them the sticks tended to lean slightly.

The possibilities are endless with these fruit pops, just pick your favorite fruits and juices and start combining flavors! I'd love to hear what flavor pops you would make! I'm envisioning something with blueberries and raspberries next!

Stay cool this summer!

Monkey Business

This weekend my childhood friend McKensy's son celebrated his 1st birthday! Although I was not able to attend the party since we live in different states, I of course wanted to participate somehow so I offered to make and send some cookies for his special day! The theme was monkeys which I thought was adorable! I just love the invitation that McKensy created with pics of Barrett and his stuffed monkey! Using the colors from the invite created some personalized cookies to spell out his name.

I just had a feeling these cookies were going to turn out super cute, so I captured step-by-step photos so you can see how to create these little monkeys! So let's get down to business shall we...

You will need:
-monkey cookie cutter (I used Wilton brand found at my local craft store)
-sugar cookie recipe
-royal icing (tinted light brown, dark brown, pink, black)
-decorating tips: #2 for light brown, dark brown, pink, #1 for black)
-2 squeeze bottles for flooding icing

1.Using piping bag with tip #2 light brown icing, pipe an oval outline for the monkey face.

2.Using piping bag with tip #2 dark brown icing, outline the shape of the monkey and create outlines for the ears.

3.Using piping bag with tip #2 pink icing, fill in the monkey ears.

4.Once all the monkeys are outlined in brown it is time to go back in and "flood" the cookies with a thinned down version of royal icing using squeeze bottles. Allow the outlines to dry for about 30 minutes before flooding.

5.Using the flooding consistency light brown icing in the bottle, squeeze some icing in a zig zag inside the monkey face and the icing will start to spread.

6.Using the tip of the squeeze bottle gently move the icing to fill in the entire shape of the face.

7.Using the flooding consistency dark brown icing in the bottle, squeeze some icing in a zig zag inside the monkey head and the icing will start to spread.

8.Using the tip of the squeeze bottle gently move the icing to fill in the entire shape of the head.

9.Using the piping bag with tip #1 black icing, pipe on the eyes, nose and mouth. Wait about 1-2 hours before you go back and pipe on the face so it doesn't bleed into the wet icing.

10.Allow flooded cookies to dry 24 hours before stacking or packaging.

And since every monkey needs a banana, I couldn't resist I had to make a few bananas too!

McKensy went all out for Barrett's birthday by making some monkey cake pops, mini cupcakes and a jumbo cupcake! Everything turned out super cute from the pictures I have seen and the birthday boy seemed very happy enjoying his sweets!

Happy 1st Birthday Barrett!

Pecan Walnut Banana Bread

We had 4 very ripe bananas...some banana bread seemed to be the perfect solution!

My husband loves banana bread with nuts, his special request was to have both pecans and walnuts mixed inside the loaf and on top. Extra nutty!

I decided to add a little cinnamon and brown sugar too! I can't get enough cinnamon this time of year, not to mention the amazing aroma that fills the house as the bread bakes in the oven.

So if you have some overly ripe bananas that you don't know what to do with, I recommend you whip up a batch of this recipe now! Don't like pecans or walnuts, leave them out or sub in your favorite nut, or even some cranberries or chocolate chips. Or you could even swap out the banana for pumpkin, this would have been delicious too...but I was trying to give you all a break from pumpkin stuff for a a few days!


Pecan Walnut Banana Bread (makes 1 large loaf, or 3 mini 3x5 loaves)

Ingredients:
-1 stick unsalted butter, melted
-4 ripe bananas
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 cup chopped pecans
-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.
• This recipe does not require an electric mixer, just mix it all by hand.
• Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add in melted butter and mix.
• Add sugars, eggs and vanilla and mix well.
• In separate bowl mix dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
  
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.
• Fold in the pecans and walnuts and pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake 1 large loaf for 50 minutes or bake 3 mini loaves for 30 minutes.

I've got at least one more pumpkin recipe coming before Turkey Day and a special baby shower I've been working on this week so check back soon for more sweet treats!