the very best banana bread recipe

I really like banana bread, but I have a few problems with your standard banana bread: First, it can be kind of tough, and if I'm going to eat a quickbread I want it to have a very soft, cakey texture. Second, to get the inside cooked through perfectly you have to cook it a long time, so the outer edges get kind of dry and dark. If you cook it so the edges are perfect, the inside is still mushy, which is just gross. Third, I think banana bread really needs chocolate chips to be perfectly delicious, but I think that about lots of things, so I'm ok if you disagree with me on that. The first two issues, however, are indisputable. *wink*

So I've made lots of banana bread recipes, and I've finally hit on the perfect one. It's just plain wonderful. The bread is much lighter in color than most banana breads I've tried, and it's much lighter and softer in texture as well. However, in addition to a great recipe, there's one secret I've found that turns a really good banana bread into absolutely perfect banana bread. Here it is:

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soft sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting (delish!)

These cookies were a family tradition growing up - my dad LOVES them, so my mom always made them at Easter. And Christmas. And Halloween. And Dad's birthday. Oh - and Valentine's Day. And pretty much any other holiday we had an appropriate cookie cutter for. They're soft and cakey with a rich cream cheese frosting that pretty much everybody loves - it's way better than the tasteless "royal" icing that's often used on top of sugar cookies or the pasty pink frosting on those store bought ones. (Keep reading for printable recipe card.)

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STL: peanut butter and chocolate hearts

Remember, the Share the Love series starts on Monday, where guest posters and I will be sharing ideas for projects that will help you connect with the important people in your life during this chilly and sometimes lonely time of year. To kick things off I wanted to show you a fun recipe you can make with even your littlest kids that's perfect for this time of year: chocolate covered peanut butter hearts.

These are a beauty of a treat: they're extremely easy to make and taste like a decadent Reese's PB cup. We made our hearts pretty big, so we've been sharing slices of them. I keep cutting off just a little bite, then coming back for more. (Keep reading for recipe + tutorial!)

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easy triple layer fudge {for Valentine's day}

I know, I know, it's still a month until Valentine's Day. But I have a blog series starting next week that will run all the way through V-Day (more info on the series coming Friday!) and so I won't have another chance to post this fun little fudge recipe, so here you go. The basic recipe comes from my mother-in-law's friend, and it's a winner. So easy a four year old could just about make it on his own...which mine nearly did. No need to time anything, or use a candy thermometer, or anything like that. Just one pot and about 15 minutes (plus chill time!) and you've got a pan of creamy, delicious fudge. And with one easy modification you can make triple layer fudge with a pink top for Valentine's Day, or a green top for St. Pattie's Day, or even a blue top for Smurf day. Or something like that. Doesn't it look delish?

Perfectly creamy and incredibly easy. (Keep reading for the recipe.)

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white chocolate peppermint popcorn + new years gift tags

Happy New Year's Eve! I've been having a great week relaxing with my family and the Christmas decorations and wrapping paper explosion are nearly all cleaned up. The hustle and bustle is over and it's time to turn my attention to the one thing I didn't get done before Christmas: neighbor gifts. 

Now, neighbor gifts (which usually consist of an array of goodies) are a pretty big tradition for our family. I remember covering the kitchen table with paper plates and then helping my mom distribute cookies, brownies, candy, etc., then packaging them up in plastic sacks with bows and delivering them up and down the street every single year of my childhood. It's  a tradition I've continued and my kids and I usually have a great time one day before Christmas getting everything I've baked up delivered. But this year it just didn't happen. But that's okay! You know why? Because lots of people get loads of treats in the few days before Christmas - so many that some treats end up in the trash. So we're delivering New Year's treats, and the treat is a super easy one (but still delicious!): white chocolate peppermint popcorn. Click title to get popcorn recipe and free printable tags!

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simple + delicious shortbread recipe w/chocolate drizzle

 

Every year for Christmas my dad asks for a tin of Walker's Shortbread. He loves it, and I don't think it would feel like Christmas without it. A few years ago I realized that my dad's shortbread is just about the only cookie we buy (as opposed to make) in our family and I decided it was time to try making my own - I figured it couldn't be too hard, right?

And it's not! Just a few ingredients get mixed up by hand and pressed into a round cake pan then turned out onto a cookie sheet. Half an hour later you have crisp, buttery shortbread that just gets better over the next few days (the flavor gets better and better for about 48 hours after baking). It's delicious, but simple enough that the kids can help make it (older kids could make this on their own). So now when my dad comes to visit the boys and I make a batch of shortbread just for him...although the boys have a tough time not stealing at least one piece...

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swedish apple pie

Friday again, which means more pie! If you missed the chocolate toffee cream pie, check it out here. And if you missed pumpkin pie cake, find it here. Today we have the third and final installment in our pie trifecta: Swedish Apple Pie.

Who doesn't love apple pie, right? Well, me for starters. I love the inside of apple pie, but pie crust just really doesn't get me excited. I much prefer apple cobblers or crumbles or something with a tasty, crunchy topping to traditional apple pies. So I was excited to find this Swedish Apple Pie recipe a few years ago. 

It has all the cinnamon apple goodness of a traditional apple pie, but no crust. Instead, the apples are topped with a dough that's a bit like a cross between a sugar cookie and a soft cake - sounds strange, I know, but it's fantastic.

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pumpkin pie cake

It's Friday, which means it's time for more pie! (Check out last week's chocolate toffee cream pie here.) I know, I know, this doesn't actually look like pie. That's because it's baked in a 9x13 cake pan instead of a pie dish. But don't worry, there's a full fledged pumpkin pie in here - it's just mixed up with a tasty cake "crust" instead of sitting on top of traditional pie crust. And that, my friends, is why I like it.

I don't love pumpkin pie. I don't even really like pumpkin pie, and I rarely choose to eat it. But I'm always a little disappointed that I don't like it, 'cuz pumpkin and spice is pretty fantastic - I love pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies, for example. So when I tried this pumpkin pie cake, I knew I'd finally found the answer to all my pumpkin pie dilemmas.

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