Treats - 3/23 - The Idea Room

Cinnamon Banana Cake

Yesterday was Mr. Idea Room’s birthday! He likes food in general…but he really likes cake. Especially our Cinnamon Banana Cake. This recipe has been part of my family’s recipes for as long as I can remember. We actually call it Sandy’s Cake. I have no idea why. I should probably ask because there could be a great family history story behind it.

Anyways…One of my favorite things about this cake is that it is made with bananas. And for some reason when I buy bananas…they either are gobbled up quickly before I can use one on my bowl of Cheerios in the morning (grrr…and yes…I LOVE me some Cheerios). Or, they sit and turn brown forgotten in the fruit basket.

So, this is one of our favorite go to recipes. This is also a recipe that we like to make and share with our neighbors and friends.

Cinnamon Banana Cake

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 dash salt
3 cups flour
1 pint sour cream (2 cups) or vanilla yogurt

Blend butter, sugar, bananas, eggs and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. In another bowl make the filling.

Filling:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional…but why wouldn’t you?)

Layer batter and filling twice in a 9X13 dish. Bake 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

* Sometimes the middle of the cake needs to bake longer. If so, put foil over the cake after the 45 minutes and bake it for another 5 minutes. Test with a toothpick in the middle to see if the batter sticks to it, if it comes out clean…the cake is finished.

Click here for a printable version of our Cinnamon Banana Cake Recipe.

Mississippi Mud Brownies

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I recently needed a little chocolate pick me up. And I was craving brownies. Who doesn’t crave a brownie every now again? But I wanted something a little more fancy than a regular brownie. So I decided to make some Mississippi Mud Brownies.

All you need is your favorite brownie recipe and some Oreo Cookies to crush.

Best Brownie Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Oreo Cookie Crust (crush about 30-40 Oreos after removing frosting center)

1/8 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 inch baking pan.
Pull out 1/8 cup of crushed Oreos and set aside. Spread the rest of the Oreo Cookie crust into the bottom of the pan with the melted butter and press firmly. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes on 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Fold in the marshmallows. Set aside.
Remove from oven and layer on the brownie mix. Sprinkle the rest of the crushed Oreos on the top of the brownie mix in clumps.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Enjoy with a friend and a your favorite glass of ice cold milk!

April 16, 2012 · Filed under: Recipes, Treats Tagged with best brownie recipe, brownies, chewy brownies, homemade brownies, mississippi mud brownies, Oreo brownies, yummy brownies

Valentine Cookie Pops

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Valentine Cookie Pops on a stick? Yep! You know how much I like them. Here is a new Valentine version. But this time it is not an Oreo. These are sugar cookies…

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These are pretty easy to make and would be a fun little treat to leave someone special this Valentine’s Day.

We made them with our favorite soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Recipe. Then we cut the cookies into some fun Valentine’s Day cookie cutters…hearts, lips, and some X’s and O’s.

Then bake your cookies according to your recipe directions. And let them cool completely.

Then we melted some white chocolate. If you don’t have chocolate you can also use Almond Bark or Candi Quik. I poured a small amount onto one cookie that I turned onto it’s back. Place your sucker stick onto the melted chocolate and then add a little bit more chocolate on top of the stick. Then place another cookie on top.

Then to speed up the process, I popped them into the freezer for a couple of minutes. Then you can dip them into your melted chocolate. Instead of dipping I actually spoon the chocolate onto them as I turn the cookies at different angles to make sure that the entire cookie is covered on the front and back.

Add some sprinkles or some other fun edible embellishments. I did take a small heart cookie cutter and poured some melted Wilton’s Candy Melts into it to make some hearts to place onto the cookie pops too like the ones shown in the pictures below.