What's up Wednesday--Banana bars

Bananas are something everyone in my family loves.  On Thursdays at my grocery store I can get them for $.19 a pound, so I load up.  We usually don't end up eating them all before they start to go brown, darn it, so that means we get to bake with them or freeze them for smoothies.  Yum!  Some of our favorite banana recipes are my great grandma's banana bread, baked banana oatmeal, and banana chocolate chip mini muffins--which I will share that recipe next week.  But I was looking for something different to make with our ripe bananas this last week, and I found something divine!  I think what makes these so divine is the frosting--browned butter frosting.  Have you ever made that before?  Oh. my.  it is to.die.for.

When Ben tasted them he said, "Wow, what is that frosting it is really good!"  and my kids didn't have to say much, the pan which was gone in less than an hour spoke for itself.  It used to be that I could make a batch of cookies or brownies or bars like these, and we would have left-overs to freeze and use for lunches.  That is not quite the case anymore.   More often than not the cookies and bars are gone before I can get them into the freezer.  Maybe I just need to start doubling everything I make--one to eat now, and one to freeze.

I found these somewhere on the web--do you do that, find things and then can't remember where you found them?  I print off recipes all the time, but sometimes the site doesn't print off, so I apologize to whoever came up with these first that I can't give you credit, but thank you because they are so good!

Banana Bars

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

3-4 ripe bananas mashed

2 tes vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tes baking soda

3/4 tes salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional--we aren't nut people, so I never put them in)

Browned Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tes vanilla

 3 Tbl milk

Heat oven to 375.  Grease a 10x15 jelly roll pan.  Beat first four ingredients until creamy.  Blend in bananas and vanilla and beat for 1 minute.  Add dry ingredients and blend for one minute.  Stir in nuts if using and then spread in pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Cool slightly until warm but not hot and frost with browned butter frosting.

For frosting--heat butter in saucepan over medium heat until it is boiling and a delicate brown color--this takes a while--keep an eye on it.  Remove from heat and immediately add the remaining ingredients.  This should be thicker than glaze and thinner than frosting.  Use a spatula to smooth over the banana bars immediately.  It is easier to spread on the warm banana bars.  Enjoy!

A change of plans and Our Favorite Banana Recipes

Do you ever have those days that just do not turn out like you planned, not necessarily in a bad way, just not what you had planned?  Yesterday was one of those for me.  Yesterday I got up and thought I knew what my schedule would be.  It was a Tuesday.  Tuesdays are my school volunteer days.  I am at the school almost all day in my different kids' classes.  I love it.  Well, Miss E had been sick with just a fever since Saturday night.  I stayed home with her Sunday, and Monday, but Monday evening she didn't have a fever, and Tuesday morning she was 98.6, so I sent her to school and then I followed not too long after.  I was in Mr. J's class about 9 when I hear over the intercom "Jen if you are in the building, will you please come to the office."  Now even though I am 30 something, being called to the office still makes me feel nervous!  Anyway, Miss E's fever was back up, so we headed home.  Now I had a whole day at home I was not planning on.  Got Miss E some Tylenol, and she just wanted to lay on the couch and watch Star Wars.  I had a bunch of bananas that were getting pretty ugly, so I got to work and baked up a storm.  We love bananas at our house and banana bread and especially these banana muffins.  Mr J asks for them at least twice a week, "Mom, can you make me some banana muffins?"  Yum, yes!  These all freeze very well.  Enjoy!

Dearie's Banana Bread--this recipe is my Great-Grandma's who we all called Dearie

2 c. flour

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter (soft)

1 tes. soda

1 tes. salt

1 tes. vanilla

1/2 c. nuts (optional, we never put them in, we aren't nut people)

3 medium, ripe bananas mashed

Cream together sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla, and mix well.  Add all other ingredients and bananas and mix well.  Bake 350 for 1 hour if doing one large loaf, bake 35-40 minutes if making 4 small loaves (like above).  Check with toothpick in middle to see if done.  

These are our favorite mini-chocolate chip banana muffins.  I always double the recipe (doubling will make about 48 mini-muffins), and if there are any left after we are done, they freeze really well.  I got this recipe from Family Fun years ago.  It is a staple at our house. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tes baking powder

1/4 tes salt

1 cup mashed, ripe bananas

1 large egg

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup fat free or light sour cream

2 tes. vanilla

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, sour cream, milk, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Blend in the dry ingredients, but do not over mix.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Spoon into greased mini muffin tins and bake 350 for 12-15 minutes or until top bounces back when touched. 

So sometimes I think it is good when your days do not turn out exactly like you planned.  Sometimes they turn out better and much yummier!   Enjoy!