Mini Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins: SHV

I had three bananas aboot to take a turn for the worse and since my wee hooligans are taking snacks to school / preschool these days, I thought I would make something small enough for them to pack. Also, since I'm a buzz kill, I thought I would make them as healthily as possible. Yay!

You will need:

Nanaimo Bars Three Ways

I made these Nanaimo bars three favourite ways, regular custard, peppermint and mocha. Just as I finished, I remembered peanut butter, yay for pb! I will add an addendum if I whip something up.

You will need:

For the bottom layer (for all):

1/4 c butter
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 T sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c coconut
1/4 c walnuts

Middle Layer Regular (custard):
1/2 c butter, softened
2 c icing sugar
2 Tbsp custard powder
3 Tbsp milk

Middle Layer Peppermint:
1/2 c butter, softened
2 c icing sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp peppermint extract
8 drops green food colouring (you know, ballpark it)

Middle Layer Mocha:
1/2 c butter, softened (sensing a theme?)
2 c icing sugar
1 shot espresso (about 3 Tbsp)

Top Layer (For all):
 2 Tbsp butter
4 oz semisweet chocolate
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

You know, you only need a third of all this for one batch

Zee variations!

First, prep! Here is where I've gotten really persnickety over the years. It was probably 4 or 5 years until I was happy with the bottom layer, the second not quite as long and the third just now. So here are my tips! First, chop your coconut really REALLY finely. Tiny bits. Tinier, soldier! Do the same with the walnuts, even littler if possible. It makes for a more cohesive base.



Eeeeven tinier!

It's like we're just getting started!

Melt the 1/4 c butter with the cocoa powder and sugar over medium heat. Remove from heat and add the egg, constantly stirring until it is completely cooked and the chocolate mixture has thickened.



 Stir in the graham crumbs, coconut and walnuts.


Press into the bottom of a 8 x 8 pan lined with wax paper.

 Press down firmly (but gently! less Conan, more finesse) with a spatula. Pop into the fridge for about half an hour.

When your bottom is nice and cold, start the second layer. Cream the 1/2 c of softened butter with the icing sugar and custard, slowly add in milk. Beat until light and fluffy, about a minute and a half to two minutes.

If you are doing peppermint, do pretty much the same, but add the green food colouring in just as you get ready to beat the heck out of it.

Make me for St. Patrick's Day!

 It's essentially the same for the mocha filling, espresso last. A quick note about that, I have a Tassimo brewer, that's what it put out for volume, about 3 Tbsp. You could also just use that much cold coffee.

Spread the filling evenly (like I'm so sure) over the bottom layer, put back in the fridge for about half an hour while you prepare the top.

To make the chocolately goodness that is the top layer, melt the chocolate and butter together. Here's another tip! Just melt the butter, remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. When it is nice and smooth, add the vanilla. It helps the crust from cracking when you are cutting it. Another tip! Make sure the chocolate is completely cooled, but not hard. Place it on a rack, when you can hold it in your hand, stir it until it is free-flowing. I like to use an offset spatula to schmear it on, whatever floats your boat, sailor. Put back in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap, until thoroughly chilled.

It smears the chocolate on the bar, or it gets the

When it is completely chilled, take it out and remove from the pan, taking off the wax paper as well. Place chocolate side up on a large cutting board, get yer biggest knife.

Keep cutting in halves until you have 16 pieces. I will say that is 16 rather large pieces, at about eleventy-thousand calories each, so you could cut smaller, should you be so inclined.

Enjoy!

Friday: Chocolate Bread Pudding

This is me mudder's old recipe, fantastic with vanilla ice cream. I tinkered just a tiny bit (sorry Mom!) but it is essentially original. I hope you enjoy!

You will need:

1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
4 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c milk
1 c soft bread crumbs (about one of my ginormous pieces cut up)
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c walnuts

First prep! Turn your oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. That's it! Well, measure stuff, but you were gonna do that anyway, right? On we go!

Melt the butter and sugar together on medium heat, add in cocoa powder and stir until thoroughly combined.

Remove from heat and add in the vanilla. Stir in one cup of milk and the bread crumbs, mix well.

Beat the two eggs with the remaining half cup of milk, add to the pan.

Bring the pan back to medium heat, stirring all the while as the custard thickens. When it has, stir in the walnuts.

Pour into a buttered (or oil sprayed, let's be real) 8 x 8 dish, bake for 20 minutes.

Chill overnight and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Or Cool Whip, should you be a philistine (don't be a philistine). I cut this into 16 pieces and came up with 111 calories per square, so pretty nummy for not many calories.

Thanks, mom!

Enjoy!

Thursday: Aunt Mabel's Killer Oatmeal Cookies

Apparently I have an Aunt Mabel and she makes a mean oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. The recipe has been modified over the years by my mother and lastly by me, but it is a really nice crisp cookie with lots of chocolate.

You will need:

2 2/3 c rolled oats
3/4 c butter, softened
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp water (?? that's a first for me, but I did it!)
1 c whole grain whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c chocolate chips
3/4 c pecans, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spread the oats on a baking sheet. When the oven is up to temp, bake the oats for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. I know I always say that roasting nuts and the like makes them taste better, but for reals, you will want to do this. Adds another dimension. Set them aside to cool and get to creaming!

Rolled oats

Multi-dimensional oats!

Cream the butter and sugar together, add in the egg, vanilla and water (?? so strange! kept wanting to switch it out with another egg, but I stuck, sorta, to the recipe), beat until combined.

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together, add slowly to the butter mixture on low speed. Take a minute and scrape up the flour that landed on the counter. We'll wait.

Add in the oats, mix as well as you can. Add in the pecans if your mixer isn't getting grouchy with you. If it is, just stir them in with a spatula, which is what you want to do with the chocolate chips. Mix it allll together.

Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper, bake for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from tray immediately, cool on a rack.

This made 4 dozen cookies, at calories 103 per. Relatively healthy, though! Whole grains, whole wheat flour, it's all good!

Enjoy!

Tuesday: Chocolate Butter Tarts

I used to hate butter tarts. I loved making them, because there is nothing easier, but would.not.eat.them. Too sweet, too whatever. Then I added chocolate. And then a chocolate tart shell. I have to send these into work with my husband tomorrow, or I am going to eat ALL of them.

You will need:

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c butter, softened
2 Tbsp cocoa, unsweetened
1/2 Tbsp icing sugar
1c all purpose flour
1/2 c dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c corn syrup
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1/4 c chocolate chips

First, prep! Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, get out a stand mixer (pink optional), spray a mini-muffin tin and weigh your cream cheese. It's not a full brick, that's 8 oz. You want a little less than half. Also, quick tip for softening cream cheese, you can microwave this much for 8 seconds and it will work.

Cream the 1/2 c cup butter and cream cheese together until creamy, add in cocoa and icing sugar and beat until well blended. Add in the flour slowly and carefully, then scoop up what sprayed all over the counter when you forgot to turn it down. I'll wait.

The dough should form into one cohesive ball; remove and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 1/h hour. Hey, you could toast some oats for tomorrow while you are waiting! Spread some rolled oats onto a cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway. All set!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, prepare the filling. Mix the sugar, corn syrup, egg, vanilla and 2 Tbsp butter in a medium bowl. Stir it again. Check the clock. Time!

Cut the dough into 24 pieces, I like to cut it up like a Terry's orange, in four, then 8, then so and so forth.

Roll each piece into a ball, place in the muffin tin and using your fingers, push it up the sides into the shape of a tart shell.

Place the chocolate chips in the bottom of each tart shell; use the smallest ones you have.

Spoon about half a tablespoon of the butter / sugar mixture into each shell, until about 2/3 full.

Bake for 15 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is puffy.

Let them sit for a minute before trying to remove, then use a skinny spatula or very thin knife (totally will probably not work super well) to pry them up gently. There's approximately eleventy thousand calories in each, give or take, so we'll just call our treat!

Enjoy!