Magnolia Bakery's Chocolate Chip Peanut Banana Loaf

Recipe from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.

Magnolia Bakery--one of the best bakeries in New York City. So when I took a trip down to visit my older sister last weekend, I decided to bake her something from their cookbook. Heck, maybe she'd be able to compare my creation to the actual thing!

Only half of this Chocolate Chip Peanut Banana Loaf made its way down to the city, and a slice never made it to my sister's best friend as planned. Take that as: THIS BREAD IS DARN GOOD.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup (5-1/3 T.) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1-1/2 cups mashed ripe banana

1/3 cup milk

2 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup finely chopped, unsalted peanuts

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Bake at 350º. Grease and flour 9x5x3" loaf pan.

Using a large bowl, cream butter and sugar on low speed, until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time. Add banana and milk. Mix in flour and blend thoroughly.Stir in peanuts and chocolate chips. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 45-55 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes and remove from pan.

Raisin-Bran Muffins

These muffins from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook are great for breakfast or for a satisfying snack anytime during the day. The cinnamon adds a lot to these muffins and the oil keeps them moist. I think kids would enjoy these for breakfast as well, especially if you're trying to get them away from sugary pastries.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups raisin-bran cereal

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 6 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners. In a bowl, combine cereal with milk; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. In another bowl, whisk both flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir oil, egg, and brown sugar into cereal mixture, then fold in flour mixture.

2. Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until golden brown and cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Cool in tin 5 minutes, then turn out muffins onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature. Muffins can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 3 months, in a large re-sealable plastic bag; thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven before serving.

Notes:

To make these low-fat muffins healthier, use regular bran flake cereal instead of raisin-bran cereal, which contains a surprising amount of sugar. Take 1-1/4 cups of bran flakes and 1/4 cup raisins and you're all set!

I liked this recipe because the muffins were delicious and I didn't have to use an electric mixer, which saved me the hassle of hauling it out of the cupboard and the potential disaster of dropping the stainless steal bowl on my toes again.

Oat-rageous Chocolate Chip Pancakes

One Saturday afternoon, my mom and I decided to take a trip to Barnes & Noble, a.k.a. the best store ever. After grabbing a couple of lattes from the in-store Starbucks, we started browsing. As my mom was trying to choose which Edith Wharton book to read next, I started to walk toward the cookbooks. Halfway there, I stopped at a display of Hungry Girl cookbooks. Catchy,I thought, so I picked up Hungry Girl: 200 under 200. Flipping through, I found quick, easy, and low-cal recipes. I thought it would be fun, so I bought it. I never actually made it to the cookbook section.

Of all of the recipes I've tried in this cookbook, this one is my favorite. (I'm planning on doing a review of the cookbook in the future.) I couldn't tell you how many times I've made these for an after-school snack.

After a long day, my mom and I were driving home in the car. I was exhausted. "I just want to be in my chair with my pancakes," I said. And these are those pancakes.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons regular oats (not instant)

3 tablespoons fat-free liquid egg substitutes

2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon light vanilla soy milk

1/2 tablespoon mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash of salt

Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small bowl, except for chocolate chips. Mix well, and then fold in the chocolate chips.

Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Pour batter in the pan, forming two pancakes. Once pancakes begin to bubble on the top, gently flip. Cook until both sides are lightly browned and the insides are cooked through.

Notes:

This recipe makes two pancakes for 210 calories. Now, I know this is from the 200 under 200 cookbook, but I substitute 2 teaspoons of sugar (30 calories) for one packet of Splenda (0 calories). I like to put Fat Free Reddi Wip on top (5 calories a serving), but you could also use maple syrup or whatever else you please!

When I make this, I always double the recipe. That way I can have my favorite pancakes that day and the next!

Weekend Cooking: Easter Breakfast

We love leisurely family breakfasts but, our busy schedules don't often allow time to sit together for a morning meal. Holiday breakfasts have become a family tradition. Margaret and I pour over cookbooks and recipes searching for the perfect dish. Last Christmas, we discovered a new favorite - Nan's Baked French Toast. When it came time to choose an Easter Breakfast, the choice was unanimous!

Nan's Baked French Toast

Cut bread into 1-inch squares; enough to cover the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Lightly beat 2 eggs, 3 Tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Stir in 2 1/4 cups milk.

Pour over bread, turning pieces to coat well.

At this point, you may stop, cover, and refrigerate over night, if you wish.

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Combine 1/2 cup flour, 6 Tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional).

Cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Scatter 1 cup blueberries and/or strawberries over the bread.

Sprinkle with the crumb mixture.

Bake about 40 minutes until golden brown.

Note: At Christmas, the bread/milk mixture was in the refrigerator overnight and needed a little extra cooking time. Last weekend, I prepared it in the morning and 40 minutes in the oven was perfect. Looking at the picture, I realized the fruit was added after the crumb mixture instead of before.... oh well, it was still delicious.

Nan blogs at Letters from a Hill Farm. I've tried several of her recipes and have never been disappointed!

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone with a food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button, head over to Beth Fish Reads, and link up anytime over the weekend.