'BOO'-nana Puddin'

It's 'BOO'-nana puddin' time! Rednexx Man loves his 'nana puddin' & when a friend mentioned they haven't had mine in a long time, I thought it was a good enough reason to get in the kitchen this morning. One container for Rednexx Man to take to work tonight, one for the house & one to share....yep, I do believe we have some happy campers!

I adapted the recipe from Paula Deen's version, which I tried years ago and absolutely loved. But I will warn you ahead of time....this is a very rich recipe, so be prepared to be indulged by it's creamy heavenly-ness. 

'BOO'-nana Puddin'
1 box Nilla wafer cookies; set aside 5-10 cookies

4 very ripe bananas; sliced moderately thin & separated
4 cups milk
2 (6.8 oz) boxes banana cream instant pudding mix
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened & cut into cubes
2 (12 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 large family size container cool whip; semi thawed

In a large mixing bowl combine milk, pudding mix, cream cheese and condensed milk. Mix until well blended & smooth. Fold the cool whip into the pudding mixture. Set aside.

Place a layer of cookies in the bottom of a large round casserole dish, bowl or other type serving container. Next layer some of the sliced bananas atop the cookies. Spoon a good amount of pudding mix over the bananas. Spread evenly. Repeat layers ending with a final layer of pudding. Garnish with wafer cookies that have been set aside. Cover and place in refrigerator to chill until ready to serve.

This makes a large amount so you will need to use either a very large, deep container or divide it amongst a few containers as shown in the photo. 

Click HERE for printable recipe

**Recipe adapted from Paula Deen

Tennessee Apple Cake

Several months ago I printed out a recipe that Gooseberry Patch had posted on their Facebook page for an apple cake. I had the recipe pinned to the icebox so it would be readily available when I finally decided to try it. Well, today was the day I thought I'd give it a whirl. The original recipe did not call for an icing but I thought a quick vanilla glaze would go perfectly atop it.

Tennessee Apple Cake
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
21-oz can apple pie filling
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350* Grease & flour a 9' x 13' baking pan; set aside. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix lightly. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread batter evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 12.

Glaze: 1/4 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 3 Tblsp. milk
             Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl until well mixed. Add milk as      
             needed for desired consistency.
Click HERE for printable recipe

 * source: Gooseberry Patch facebook page

 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I have been so ready for the Fall season now that I actually started decorating the inside of the house with all of my Autumn flair. With that, a friend sent me the link to a recipe for Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from the RecipeGirl blog.  She thought I would enjoy them as they seem to have all the tastes of Fall rolled into one. 

After a trip to the local dairy to pick up some fresh raw milk, I decided to give the recipe a try. It definitely smelled like Autumnal Heaven in the house & boy did they taste awesome! They're more of a cake like texture instead of a crispy cookie but add a glass of milk to it and yum! Here's the recipe as sourced from Recipe Girl.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

COOKIES:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pure unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter until fluffy. Add sugars and pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Beat flour mixture into liquid mixture a little at a time just until incorporated. Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray).

ROLLING SUGAR:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice

 

 

Mix rolling sugar ingredients in a small bowl. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator. Use a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 Tablespoons) or a large spoon to scoop out dough and roll into balls. Use your hands to roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and make sure they're coated really well.** Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a glass with a nice, flat bottom to dip in sugar and flatten the balls. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes or so, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

** My personal tip: When you get to the point of rolling the dough into a ball, make sure you lightly sugar your hands. I tried flour but it helped keep the sugar mixture from sticking as much. When I used sugar it not only kept the dough from sticking to my hands it made for better coverage when rolling it in the topping.

Click HERE for printable recipe  

Brownie Cookie Layer Bake

This is a super easy, oh so yummy desert that's great any day of the week. With only 3 ingredients needed (not including the egg & oil needed to prepare the brownie mix) it makes this one of my favorite "go to" deserts when I need a last minute sweet treat.

Brownie Cookie Layer Bake 

1 roll of pre-packaged refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 pkg Nutter Butter cookies
1 box brownie mix (prepared as directed on box)  

Preheat oven to 350* Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan.

Remove cookie dough from package and press evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Place a layer of Nutter Butters atop the cookie dough. Pour brownie mix over cookie layer & spread evenly. Bake according to brownie mix directions. (The brand I used had a cook time of 28-30 minutes.) Remove from oven & allow to cool slightly before serving.


Click HERE for printable recipe

 

Triple Chocolate Sour Cream Pudding Cake w/Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

My Mom's birthday was this weekend & no birthday is complete with cake. So in honor of Mom I made her a Triple Chocolate Sour Cream Pudding Cake w/ Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting. It's a super moist cake that definitely satisfies the sweet tooth. 

1 box Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate cake mix

1 (3.5 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 c. sour cream

4 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease & flour bundt pan. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto cake plate.

Once cake has completely cooled, frost with icing. 

 

Icing:

2 (8 oz) pkgs. softened cream cheese

1 stick (1/2 c.) softened butter 

3 c. powdered sugar

3 tsp. vanilla extract

 In mixing bowl cream together cream cheese & butter until well blended. Add in vanilla extract. Slowly add in powdered sugar & mix well; scraping bowl down as needed. Frost cake as desired.

Click HERE for printable recipe

International French Vanilla Brown Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake w/ French Vanilla Cinnamon Glaze

We have had several consecutive days of nasty rain with muggy temperatures. Yes, here in the South we have a different kind of winter. One day it will be crisp & cool with temperatures in the 40's, the next your putting your peddle pushers on as it's a sunny 70+ degrees out. However as of late, we have had a mixture of cool and warm temperatures laced with rain. It's so hard to know how to dress from one day to the next. Since there's not much one can do outside, I decided to get creative in the kitchen. 

Having a pantry full of left over ingredients from all of the holiday baking, I started thinking of how I could pull some of them together to come up with something totally new to me. I was quiet pleased with my results. Starting out with a basic box cake mix, I transformed it into something my family now calls an instant make again treasure.  

By using a little bit of liquid coffee creamer in the glaze, it makes this a true "coffee" cake. Enough talking about it, let's get baking!

1 (18.25 oz) box Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix
1 1/3 c. water
1/3 c. canola oil
4 eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325* Grease and flour a traditional size bundt pan. Set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil & eggs. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix together cinnamon & brown sugar. 

Pour half the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Next sprinkle batter with half the cinnamon mixture. Pour remaining batter into pan and top with the rest of the cinnamon mixture. 

Using a knife, run the blade through the batter to "swirl" the cinnamon in the batter. Lightly tap bundt pan on the counter to release any trapped air that might have been in the batter. 

Place pan in the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until knife or tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto your serving plate.

Meanwhile, prepare your glaze. 

2 c. powder sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6-7 Tblsp. International Delight French Vanilla liquid coffee creamer

In a small bow, whisk together ingredients until smooth. Spoon glaze over semi cooled cake.
 

Click HERE for printable recipe

Chocolate Hazelnut Croissants

Sometimes you get a hankerin' for something that nothing else can satisfy. One of my craving this week was a fresh, hot out of the oven chocolate filled croissant. One bite and you'll know why I was craving them so much.  

Chocolate Hazelnut Croissants 

1 pkg. Pillsbury crescent roll dough
1 jar Jiff Chocolate Hazelnut spread

Preheat oven to 350* Grease a cookie sheet. Unroll crescent dough on prepared cookie sheet & separate into triangles. Spread Chocolate Hazelnut over the widest part of the triangle. 

 Lightly roll up in crescent shape.

 Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly. Serve warm.

 

 Click HERE for printable recipe

Reese's Chewy Chocloate Cookies

What better way to celebrate the first day of Fall than baking in the kitchen!?! So this morning I decided to go with a "back of the bag" recipe.

 2 c. all purpose flour
2/4 c. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. butter or margarine; softened (I used butter flavor Crisco sticks)
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (10 oz) bag Reese's peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350*

Sift together flour, cocoa, soda & salt in a small bowl. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar until smooth. Add eggs & vanilla, blend well. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture. Mix until well incorporated. Fold in peanut butter chips. 

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool slightly before removing to cooling rack. Cool completely. Yields: about 4 1/2 dozen.

Click HERE for printable recipe

Red Velvet Crinkles

Really needing to go the market to restock on groceries, yet being in the mood to bake can pose a challenge. I was out of eggs so using a substitute, I was able to come up with something last night in spite of things.

1 box red velvet cake mix 

2 Tblsp flour
2 Tblsp oil

4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. water
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except for powdered sugar. Mix until all ingredients have been fully incorporated. Take a Tablespoon full of dough at a time & roll into a ball. Roll ball in powdered sugar and place on greased or lined cookie sheet. Using the back side of your fork tines, lightly press down atop each cookie. You don't want it to be flat but pressed just enough to make the ball semi circular (cookie) shaped.  Bake for 12-13 minutes. Let cookies cool before transferring to cookie plate or cookie jar. 

Click HERE for printable recipe

Fourth Of July Brain Freeze

A Fourth of July celebration wouldn't be complete without ice cream. Instead of buying it, why not try making a batch just for the fun of it. If you like Big Red soda, then you'll love it in ice cream form. The electric ice cream maker we have is a 6 quart Rival brand, therefore the recipe instructions might need to be adjusted according to your machines manufacturer instructions.

Bubble Gum Ice Cream
1 (2 liter) bottle Big Red soda
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
crushed ice
4 c. ice cream salt

Pour Big Red & both cans of milk into the container of your ice cream machine. Place lid on container & place into ice cream bucket of your machine. Top with motor and turn machine one to begin churning. As machine is churning add in ice to the outer bucket that encases the mixing container. Alternate ice with ice cream salt ending with enough ice to cover top of mixing container. Wrap a towel around the top of the bucket to help hold the cold in. Let mixture churn until ice cream is formed. Time will vary depending on your machine. Once complete, transfer to freezer safe containers and store in freezer. Enjoy!

Click HERE for printable recipe

There's nothing better than sitting back, relaxing while your ice cream is being made.