Best Banana Muffins EVER!

These are SO SO moist, rich and dense...pretty much like a dessert! Enjoy:)

BANANA MUFFINS

2 1/4 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 large extra ripe bananas (peeled and mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs, then add the bananas. Stir in the vanilla.

Combine the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients, stirring together only until mixed. Stir in chopped nuts.

Transfer the batter into greased muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a center comes out clean.

Makes 18 to 20 muffins.

Cookie Casserole (Dessert)

1 cup milk or buttermilk
1 large pk vanilla pudding or favorite flavor
8 oz. cool whip

Mix together.

Add:
1 can mandarin oranges
1 can pineapple chunks (optional-I leave out)
Half a package of broken fudge stripes cookies

Refrigerate overnight. Enjoy!

Brownie Tarts

(from the kitchen of Kristin Campbell)

For Brownie Cup:
1 Package Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1/2 C. Butter or Margarine
1 Egg

For Filling:
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1 C. half and half
1 container frozen whipped topping (8 oz. thawed)

For Brownie Cups:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray muffin pans well with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients and mix well with a mixer. It will look really crumbly and first but then it will become gooey very fast. You want to stop mixing right before it gets really gooey. Then scoop the batter into the muffin cups. About 1/2 full. Bake 10-12 min, or until edges are set. Remove pan and press the tops of the brownies in with the top of a pop bottle or water bottle lid. It will kind of look like a cupcake with the center cut out. This allows you to have somewhere to place the filling. Let cool in pan for about 15 min. before taking them out. If you take them out too soon they will break and fall apart. Once they are out of the pan let them cool some more. The cups will be firm.

For Filling:
Mix pudding with the half and half until the pudding is dissolved. Then fold in the whip cream. Sometimes if it looks kind of lumpy I will use a little hand mixer to get it mixed a little better.

Spoon filling into the brownie cups. Store in the refrigerator. They are best served when chilled.

Ideas for dessert add-ins

Dear Dessert Diva:
Sometimes my desserts are too hum-drum. What can I do to impress my friends, without spending a lot of extra time preparing the sweets?

Dear Bothered by Brulee:
Simple additions can go a long way.
For example-

Peanut Butter Cookies-
Cinnamon(enough to make a difference)

Brownies-
Mint Chocolate Chips or Reeses Peanut Butter Cups(broken-up.)

Chocolate Cake-
Crumbled mixture of shredded coconut, nuts, and semi-sweet chocolate chips, for topping.

Cheesecake (plain)-
Raspberry jam, swirled in.

Carrot Cake-
Crushed Pineapple (decrease wet ingredients to compromise.)

S'Mores-
Caramel Sundae Sauce (add after marshmallow is roasted.)

Frozen Bananas-
Roll in Marshmallow Creme, walnuts, and drizzle with hot fudge.

Flan

It's been over four months without chocolate for Mom and I, so to combat this "fast" I have been whipping up some chocolate-free sweets to satisfy our crave for sugar. A few weeks ago I attempted flan for the first time. Following is the recipe I used.

Brazilian-Style Flan

1 cup sugar (for the caramel)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Equal volume of regular milk (use the can to measure)

3 eggs

1 8-inch ring mold

Fresh or canned sliced peaches (The peach slices were a perfect compliment to the creamy, rich flan. It was also fun to create a pretty design with them on top.)

Place 1 to 2 inches of water in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and preheat to 325°.

Put the sugar in the ring mold. Place the mold directly over medium heat. Keep turning the mold until the sugar melts into a golden brown caramel and spoon it up the sides of the mold. Be careful not to burn the sugar and yourself. Use an oven mitt to hold the mold in your left hand and a large spoon for the sugar in your right hand. This way you can keep turning the mold and spooning the sugar. Let the mold cool.

Combine the condensed milk, regular milk and eggs in a blender. Whip until smooth. Pour this mixture into the mold and place it in the center of the roasting pan with water. Bake for about 1 hour. It will turn golden brown on top and start separating from the sides of the mold. Let it cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator, preferably overnight (at least 6 hours).

Just before serving, run the tip of a knife around the inside of the mold. Place a deep platter over the mold and invert: it should slide out easily. If not, give the mold a firm but careful shake. Spoon the caramel sauce on top and arrange peach slices on top also. It's ready to eat! Serves about 10.

I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do while making this dessert. First, while making the caramel, use the "wet" method (not how I did it) because it's easier and you have a less chance of burning the sugar. Don't let it get too dark or the caramel will taste bitter and burnt. Second, a flan made with sweetened condensed milk (like mine) will be slightly denser than one made with milk or cream. Likewise, flan made with milk rather than cream will be slightly lighter than a cream-based custard. So it's up to your own preference on how you make the flan. Third, the water bath is more crucial than I thought. The water insulates the custard and keeps it from cooking too fast, which causes cracks in the finished flan and a rubbery texture. One tip I found suggests to lay a dishtowel on the bottom of a roasting pan, place the flan dish or dishes on top of the towel, and then fill the pan with boiling water about halfway up the sides of the custard cups. And fourth, if the flan is still liquid, it needs more time in the oven, and in my case, that meant another 45 minutes.

Okay, so this post is getting really long, but one more thing about flan and I'll be done. I found dozens of different recipes for flan including orange and lime, coconut, sweet potato, pumpkin, flan de chocolate, espresso, artichoke, asparagus, roasted garlic and goat cheese, caramelized apple, and red pepper. Yikes! Check out the recipes at foodnetwork.com. What are some of your favorite recipes for flan???

Chex Mix

MELT:
2 Cubes (1 Cup) butter or margarine
1 Cup Karo/Corn syrup
1 Cup Sugar

Additions:
Cashew halves
Peanuts
Pretzels
M&Ms

Mix 16 oz rice chex cereal (or half rice, half corn chex) with the desired additions and pour the melted mixture over it and stir it till the cereal is covered.

Homemade Caramel

Caramel for Apples, Ice Cream, Toast, etc.

3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 Cup margarine
1 Cup whipping cream

Put 1/2 cup cream and all ingredients except vanilla in big pan. Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage. Add other 1/2 cup cream. Cook to soft ball stage again. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Enjoy! This goes so fast at my house that I usually double it ;)