banana muffins

There are a million and one banana muffin recipes out there - I wanted to share mine because it contains one ingredient that when you take a bite of the muffin you are thinking, "What is making this muffin so amazing??" It's mascarpone cheese! I know it is not a staple everyone has in their fridge, but you might need it for a dessert recipe, and their might be leftovers - then what do you use it for? Everyone also seems to have over-ripe bananas around, (I have quite a few stored in the freezer).  Give the recipe a shot - it also doesn't need eggs - very quick prep!

1/2 cup butter (or shortening)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

3 over-ripe bananas

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese (or whatever you have left over!)

chocolate chips, walnuts, berries  - your choice!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray (I use butter flavored)

Cream softened butter, sugar and vanilla in mixer

Add bananas, sifted flour, baking soda, salt, mix well

Add in any nuts, chocolate chips or berries if you like

With a small cookie scoop I do  3 scoops of batter into each muffin spot

Cook for 25 minutes - until done

Hope you find this recipe dana-lectable!

Withdrawal from Holiday baking!

The holiday baking season begins the day before Thanksgiving. My best friend and I put on our aprons, uncork a bottle of vino and have our first listen to holiday music (our choice: Sufjan Steven's holiday albums) while baking our holiday desserts for Thanksgiving.
It seems like every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas I find myself with my Kitchen-aid mixer whipping up a batch of treats for either a Cookie Exchange, Work's Secret-Santa and then of course Christmas itself. I can't escape my kitchen, here it is the first full weekend without anything holiday related and I am attempting to put away holiday decor, but I just find myself in my kitchen, this time whipping up a batch of chilli. Today - I have no reason to bake! I like to give away my treats - not keep them around for my husband and I to eat!

Here is the grand list of what was baked for the Holiday Season 2010:

Thanksgiving was mini-pumpkin whoopie pies - although I added a spiced cream cheese filling instead - just mixed a teaspoon or two of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice into the cream cheese

Cookie Exchange - Nana's Knots

Treats for Work - good ol' chocolate chip, sugar cookies, Peanut butter Thumbprint Kisses and my fave of the season : White Chocolate Oatmeal Pistachio Cookies!
Edible dana-lectable gifts - Rainbow Cookies
Christmas - Limoncello Tiramisu - what a delectable treat, I can't wait to make it again, I loved displaying it in a trifle bowl.