BROWNIE SUPREME COOKIE BARS

After our huge meal that was Super Bowl Sunday we couldn't help but make dessert. I had big intentions on trying to bake something new, but after browsing several recipes, only one thing sounded good. Something chocolate, but yet cookie like.

I found just what I was looking for in these bars



Yummy brownies with chocolate chip cookies mixed in? Yes please!



You can thank me later. ;)

I can't take all the credit here. You see, I did something I NEVER do.




I bought a store packaged treat. I opened up plastic bags with all the goods, added a little water and egg and viola! I popped that sucker into the oven to bake. It took me all of 10 mins of prep and 30 minutes of baking.




First you spray non stick spray in a 9X 9 baking dish, and then add your brownie mixture.



Then you dabble the cookie dough on top.


Bake, cool, eat.

FROSTED BANANA BARS WITH MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Does that title sound amazing or what?

 WARNING: These bars will involve drooling, constant snacking, happy husbands ( and dogs) an amazing aroma throughout the house, and an extra pound or two on the scale..just sayin'



My bananas have not been lasting more then 3 days 4  tops, which stinks! C likes to eat a huge bowl of cereal before he goes to bed at night( lucky bastard!) and he likes to put a banana in there. Since we only go grocery shopping once a week, I've been buying a bigger bunch of bananas then normal so we don't have to run to the store for 1 item.

I had 2 huge bananas sitting on my counter rotting away and I couldn't stand to throw them out. So out came my recipe book to find something to use these nanners in! Of course, the staple item for rotting nanners is banana bread. But C hates banana bread so that wasn't an option. ( I personally LOVE any sweet bread, but since I don't want to be the only one eating it, I never make it anymore. After I think about it some more, I guess C is doing me and my waist a favor.)

Anywho. I found a recipe for Frosted Banana Bars. While it's similar to bread, it's not quite the consistency, and of course is topped with cream cheese frosting. I decided to put my own spin on things and instead of regular cream cheese frosting, I added some maple to it!

These bars would be perfect for a fall day, and since the weather seems to feel that way currently, I decided to make them!








Recipe: Frosted Banana Bars


Ingredients


1 cup  sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 big ripe bananas ( or 3 small ones)

Directions:
preheat oven to 350, and grease an 11X15 pan

1) Melt the butter, then cream butter and sugar together
2) Add eggs one at a time, until batter is nice and creamy
3)  Add sour cream
4) Add vanilla and pumpkin pie spice
5) Mix all dry ingredients together, then add to wet ingredients.
6) Add in ripe bananas
 7) Place mixture into greased pan and cook for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool  completely before you add frosting.


Frosting:

Ingredients

2- 8 oz pckgs cream cheese
1 cup powder sugar ( or more to desired sweetness)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup ( optional)

Directions

1) Soften cream cheese and melt butter, then cream together
2) Slowly add sugar to your desired sweetness/thickness
3) Add in maple syrup if you so desire


Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE MALLOW PIE

I've been in a dessert kind of mood, which is pretty rare for me. Normally I'd prefer salty over sweet any day, but as of late, it's been the other way around. I can't seem to shut my sweet tooth up with yogurt pretzels or apple and peanut butter. So I began my quest for something sweet, something chocolate and something low fat.

Now if your husband is anything like my boy, he just about balked at the idea of a low fat dessert. Little does he know, we're making it anyway ;)






( Are you drooling yet?)

This was seriously SO good. it was really light, not too sweet,  and best of all, C loved it!

Chocolate Mallow Pie
Source: Recipezaar.com

• 1 9 inch pie shell, baked and cooled( We got a chocolate crust)
• 20 marshmallows, cut in half
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup  semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 ripe bananas ( We only needed two)
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen  whipped cream; thawed ( We used cool whip lite)

1. Place marshmallows and milk in a heavy sauce pan, cook over low heat until marshmallows melt.
2. Stir in chocolate until melted, remove from heat and cool.
3. Peel and slice bananas 1/4 inch thick, arrange over the baked crust.
4. Fold whipped topping into the cooled chocolate mixture. ( We added some mini marshmallows into the mix as well)
5. Spread evenly over bananas and chill 2 hours 

Low Fat Banana Parfait

I was looking for something different and healthy for dessert a few nights ago and found this recipe in an old Kraft recipe magazine. It was dated December 12th, 1989.

I had all the ingredients and at only 200 calories a pop I figured we couldn't go wrong.





Seriously, this is the easiest dessert I've ever made, and even easier to eat. I'm not a big chocolate lover, but who doesn't love chocolate pudding whipped cream and bananas?



Low Fat Banana Parfait
(Source: Kraft)

1 Package of instant chocolate pudding
2 Bananas
Cool Whip or Whipped Cream


Directions

Prepare pudding as directed on the box ( let stand until thick: I put mine in the fridge for 20 minutes )
Slice bananas
Thaw whipped cream ( or use canned)

Put a spoonful of pudding in a cup, then a dollop of whipped cream and sliced bananas. Keep doing this pattern until you have your desired amount.



Enjoy!