Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

I love to bake quick breads.
After perfecting and then sharing my Pumpkin Bread recipe with you, I wanted to make a perfectly sharable banana bread recipe.

I think this one is it!

The trick - oil instead of butter and more chocolate chips than you think initially reasonable.

What You'll Need:

• 3 very ripe medium-sized bananas
• 2 large, free-range eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup Ideal no-calorie sweetener (or white sugar)
• 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cups chocolate chips
• 1 loaf pan
• 2 mixing bowls

What You'll Do:

• Lightly, but completely oil your loaf pan
• Pre-heat your oven to 350C
• In one of your mixing bowls, crack your eggs and beat until frothy looking (no need for any electric device, I know you can do this with a good 'ol fork...and that is what Martha would do)
• Add in the bananas, give them a good squash with a fork to loosen them up and mix into the eggs

 

• Pour in your oil, vanilla and buttermilk, mix thoroughly with the eggs and bananas
• In your other mixing bowl, add in your flour, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir until mixed through
• Add your dry mixture into your wet mixture
• Pour in your chocolate chips (you could also add in some walnuts...but I tend to think there is a direct correlation between the amount of nuts added to a recipe and the loss of fun whilst eating said recipe) 
• HERE IS THE TRICK! Do not over-mix. Be gentle. Leave a few little lumps here and there for your homies
• Pour into your pre-greased loaf pan

• Pop into your oven, in the middle
• Bake for anywhere from 50 to 1 hour 20 minutes depending on your oven. My oven, much like my body, runs hot :) So my loaf was cooked through in around 50 minutes. I could tell it was cooked through as, when I stuck in a toothpick into the centre of the loaf, it pulled out clean - no uncooked battery goo.

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: 2
Taste: 2
Ease: 1.5

Lemony Crackle Cookies

I am totally into lemons right now. Maybe because it is so dreary out right now and the smell and taste of lemons just makes me feel awake and cheery.

I have also been doing some reading on the benefit of lemons in your daily diet (benefits from immune-boosting to infection fighting) so I am trying to incorporate lemon juice and lemon zest into as much as I can.

Today was especially cool and dreary, so I wanted to make some cookies with a zing! I hope you like these as much I do - they turned out soft and light - like Summer in my mouth.

                                           * I do really need to stop taking pictures with my camera phone...                     

What You'll Need (2 dozen):

• MixMaster or hand blender
• 1/2 cup of softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup of my xylitol-based Ideal No Calorie Sweetener and 1/4 cup of sugar)
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 Tbps fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

What You'll Do:

• Preheat your oven to 350 (175F)
• Lightly grease your cookie sheet, or use a non-stick sheet
• Cream your butter and sugar until fluffy looking
• Add in your vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest
• Crack your egg into a small cup (to check if it is good), lightly stir with a fork then add into your mixture
• Scrape down the sides of your bowl then mix again
• In a separate bowl, combine your salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour
• Stir until combined
• Slowly add the dry mixture into your wet mixture, scraping down the sides occasionally to ensure everything is fully mixed in
• Measure your powdered sugar into a bowl
• If your dough seems little too soft, do not add more flour - just let the mixture set in the fridge for 20 minutes, covered
• Roll small dough balls, approximately the size of a 2Euro coin/2Dollar coin
• Place the ball into the powdered sugar to cover
• Place the balls evenly spaced on your sheet (I fit 12 per sheet)
• Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on your oven - you want them cooked through, but not over done. Ideally you should remove them when the top is no longer glossy looking and when the bottoms have just started to lightly brown
• Let cool for a few minutes then move to a cooling rack
• Enjoy...with a nice cup of tea (with lemon in it, of course!;)

Martha would love these cookies as they are pretty, have a nice, light taste and are fancy - just like her.

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: 1.5 (they look a whisper scabby, rather than 'crackly')
Taste: 2
Ease: 2