Make like a monkey, and go bananas! | Food

Growing up we always had plenty of fresh bananas — on Fridays our parents, like many others, went to Dover, Delaware, to the large farmers market to purchase fresh produce and many other farm products in large supply. Upon arriving at home, they would store the bananas in one of the coolest buildings outside. The bananas would last quite a while in the cool months and as the temps would either get hot or become freezing then mom would constantly make breads, pies, cakes, and that delicious ice cream. Grab some bananas and start cooking!

1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon white sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 egg beaten, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 ripe bananas mashed. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil, and bananas in a second bowl. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve hot.

2 bananas broken into chunks, 2 cups milk, ½ cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey or to taste, 2 cups ice cubes. Place bananas, milk, peanut butter, honey, and ice cubes in a blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.

3 cups vanilla yogurt, 1 cup dried banana chips crushed, 1 cup Peanut Butter Multi Grain Cheerios, 2 large ripe bananas sliced, 1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts chopped. Layer 3/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup banana chips and 1/4 cup cereal into each of 4 parfait glasses. Top with banana slices and peanuts.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 large bananas, mashed, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1 egg, 1/3 cup butter melted. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line cups with paper liners. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl; set aside. Mix bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a separate large bowl until well combined, fold in flour mixture until smooth. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool briefly in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

1/4 cup butter, 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, 3 1/2 tablespoons rum, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, 1 pint vanilla ice cream. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, rum, vanilla, and cinnamon; bring to a low boil. Place bananas and walnuts in the pan. Cook until bananas have softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

3 1/4 cups white sugar divided, 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided, ¾ cup butter, 6 very ripe bananas mashed, 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup chopped walnuts. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease four 7×3-inch loaf pans. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl until well combined; dust the greased pans lightly with sugar mixture. Beat the remaining 3 cups sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and the remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon; continue to beat until well-blended. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix until just combined. Stir in walnuts and divide batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

1/2 cup butter softened, 1 cup sugar, 2 large eggs room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium), 1 cup sour cream.

COFFEE FROSTING: 1/3 cup butter softened, 2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, 2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk.

Preheat the oven to 350 degree. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with bananas and sour cream, beating well after each addition. Pour into a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. For frosting, in a small bowl, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Dissolve coffee granules in milk; add to butter mixture and beat until smooth. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle with additional instant coffee, if desired.

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 3/4 cup butter softened, 1 large egg room temperature, 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2), 1-3/4 cups quick-cooking oats, 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients; beat in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg, bananas and oats; mix well. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 13-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

13/4 cups cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 large eggs,1 cup very ripe mashed bananas, from 2-3 spotty bananas, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

TOFFEE SAUCE: 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, ½ cup light corn syrup, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, pinch salt.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8×8-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the melted butter and sugar until blended. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix well. On low speed, stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Bring the heavy cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a boil in a heavy small saucepan over high heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook at a gentle boil, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. It should be the consistency of maple syrup — it will continue to thicken as it cools. Remove the sauce from the heat and cool. Spoon 1/3 cup of the toffee sauce over top of the baked banana cake. Return the cake to the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling vigorously, about 6 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Cut the cake into 9 squares or 12 rectangles. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature with warm toffee sauce and top with sliced bananas and pecans, if desired.

NO CHURN HOMEMADE BANANA ICE CREAM

2 medium overripe bananas (mashed well), 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 1/4 cup cream whole, heavy or whipping cream. In a medium bowl combine well the mashed bananas and sweetened condensed milk. In a large bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks appear. Fold the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream and combine well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into a freezer safe container or loaf pan 8×4 inch (20×10 cm). Cover well and freeze at least 5-6 hours or even overnight, until firm.