Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bread

I love banana bread. I know, I've told you this before. I'm just telling you again in case you forgot.

I had a bunch of bananas that were about to go bad so I decided to kick my standard banana bread recipe up a notch. Remember the peanut butter cupcakes I made last week? I used the Jif Whips spread in those and now I'm obsessed. I mean seriously, that stuff is like a drug. I can eat it by the spoonful straight from the jar.

So I added some of that peanut butter and chocolate spread to my bread. Oh and chocolate chips too. I mean, why not? 

The bread came out super moist and tender, probably due to that fluffy peanut butter spread. Totally delicious. And my boys gobbled it up too.

Very Vanilla Mini Cupcakes

There are days when I need some help in the kitchen. Sometimes it's good to have shortcuts, ya' know?

Although I don't use boxed mixes very often, I do find they are nice in a pinch. Instead of measuring out all of the separate ingredients, I like tossing the mix into a bowl and being done with it in about 60 seconds.

One thing that's fun to do is to jazz up a boxed mix, which is exactly what I did here. I swapped out the vegetable oil for coconut oil (making this a bit healthier), added more vanilla, and made the most delicious and moist mini vanilla cupcakes ever.

The whole family loved these, and I will definitely be making them again.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

The other day it was cold and rainy outside and I wanted comfort food. Sweet comfort food to be exact. And I wanted to bake. Baking always warms me up and makes me happy.

So I decided to concoct a skillet chocolate chip cookie. I've made a skillet brownie before, but never a cookie. And it sounded so good! The perfect dessert for the boys and I to share.

So I made it....it was delicious...and the boys and I devoured it.

THE END. 

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla Frosting

I love Halloween and finally got my entire house decorated last weekend. I had some things out but not all of my goodies, so I finished it all up. I think other than Christmas, Halloween is my favorite holiday!

Since I was in the Halloween spirit I decided to make some fun cupcakes. I tweaked my peanut butter cupcake recipe a bit and they turned out so good! My kids, and parents, devoured them.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

I love doughnuts. I mean, who doesn't love doughnuts? Right?

I've been on a quest for quite some time to make tasty doughnuts that are baked, not fried. I finally found them...

These pumpkin spice doughnuts are delicious and healthy. Moist and tender and filled with just enough pumpkin flavor and topped with cinnamon sugar, they truly are delightful.

My kids couldn't get enough of them either, which is saying a lot since my youngest is so stinkin' picky. :)

Pear Crisp

I bought the cutest little bag of Bartlett pears the other day at the store. I love Bartletts because they are sweet and juicy and you can just bite right into them. My kids love them for that reason too.

I knew right away that I wanted to bake with these little guys though. I wanted to make a pear crisp. I've made apple crisp a million times, but never pear crisp. So I took my original recipe and did some tweaking and came up with this delicious dessert.

I told you all awhile back that Greenwillow Grains was kind enough to send me a big box of their flours and grains to bake with. They didn't ask for anything in return, they just wanted me to try their goods. I tried them and I loved them! I still have a few things to try, but I love their Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and their Rolled Oats. I have made countless recipes with both and everything has turned out perfectly!

Oven Baked Steak Fajita Quesadillas

The title of this post is quite the mouthful...oven baked steak fajita quesadillas. Wow. 

I've told you many times how much we love quesadillas around here. Actually, Mexican food in general is a big deal. We love the stuff.

I was planning to make easy oven baked fajitas the other day and my son begged me to turn them into quesadillas. Ask and you shall receive my son...

This meal truly is very simple. Toss your meat, veggies and seasoning on a baking sheet and throw in the oven to cook. While that's going, get your tortillas and cheese ready to go, and prepare the pan to cook the quesadillas. It's that easy.

Chocolate M&M Cookie Sticks

I've been playing in the kitchen again. Which is good for you, and my family, because I came up with another fantastic cookie recipe.

I bake a lot, but something about Fall makes me want to bake all the time. Literally. Like I want to bake every night. Which is kinda bad because we don't need oodles of treats laying around. So much temptation...

But anyway....

These chocolate M&M cookie bars are to die for. Seriously super easy to make and you only dirty up one bowl. And they take less than 10 minutes to bake, which means you they'll be ready to eat quicker. 

Biscoff Butterscotch Chocolate Cookie Bars

I love magic cookie bars. You know, those delicious bars made with graham crackers, sweetened condensed milk and all the other goodies?? I'm sure you know what they are, although I've found over the years that everyone calls them something different.

Well around here they are known as magic cookie bars and my family loves them. When my oldest son was younger he would always request that I make them for his birthday treat to take to school. He always came home with an empty pan.

I decided to transform the old recipe for magic cookie bars into something new. Something sweet and delicious with our favorite flavors. Using Biscoff cookies as the base was definitely a genius idea. They make the best crust.  Ever.

Using coconut oil instead of butter takes it to another level as well. And makes it just a touch healthier. If that's possible with this indulgent treat.