Banana bread or cookies & icecream?

I've been cooking up a storm lately so my boys are very happy! Have tried out a few new recipes as well as some old favourites.

One of my favourite never fail recipes is for caramel banana bread. Despite the name this banana bread is not too sweet and is super moist.

Caramel Banana Bread

Ingredients:

125grams softened butter

3/4 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

1 cup of mashed banana (about 2 large bananas) preferably slightly overripe

1 & 1/2 cups of self raising flour

3/4 cup of sour cream

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda

1 tablespoon of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan forced oven). Grease a loaf pan.

2. Using an electric mixer cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg until well combined and repeat with 2nd egg.

3. Add the mashed bananas, one cup of flour, sour cream and the bicarbonate soda to the sugar mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add in the remaining flour and milk and mix well.

4. Pour into loaf tin and bake for approx. 50 mins until cooked. Test that a skewer comes out clean if inserted in the middle of the pan. Leave in pan for approx 5 mins to cool before turning onto a wire rack.

5. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Cookies & Icecream

A new recipe I recently tried is from Our Best Bites - an oven baked cookie and icecream recipe they call Pizzookies. Here is a photo I took before my boys digged into the warm cookies, icecream and chocolate fudge sauce:

Ingredients:

Cookie dough (chilled ready to use from supermarket or make your own)
Icecream of your choice
Chocolate/caramel sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan forced oven)
2. Fill ramekins about 1/2 way with cookie dough
3. Place ramekins on tray and bake for approx 10-12 mins - make sure dough is still soft.
4. Allow to cool for a few minutes then place ramekin into a larger bowl (so you don't burn your fingers!) and top with a scoop of icecream and chocolate/caramel sauce.

PIZZOOKIES INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS FROM http://www.ourbestbites.com/ - I trust these are as yummy as my boys say they are! (Shock horror I don't like choc-chip cookies and not much of a fan of icecream icecream - which makes it easier for me to cook things I know the Big Guy and Little Guy like that are a bit naughty).

Cheese & Bacon Bread Snacks

I have a recipe to share today, I made these yummy cheese & bacon bread snacks for lunch for us:

I'm not sure where the recipe is from - I've had it for a little while waiting for the time and inclination to make them. I'm not a huge slave over the stove top kinda girl (I leave the risotto making to the Big Guy) but I love to bake cakes, muffins etc so this recipe is right up my alley:

Makes approx 12

Ingredients:

200g diced bacon
2 cups of grated cheese
1 small onion finely diced
1 cup of self raising flour
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg beaten
3 teaspoons of sundried tomato pesto



Method:

1. Place bacon, cheese, onion and flour in a bowl.
2.Combine milk, egg and pesto in a small jug then add mixture to dry ingredients, stir until combined.
3.Line an oven tray with baking paper, spoon tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the tray, allow enough room for spreading.
4.Bake in a hot oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!