Banana Nut Streusel Muffins

2 c. brown sugar
½ c. shortening
½ c. butter
4 eggs
3 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
5 mashed bananas

Streusel Topping

½ c. butter (at room temperature, or microwave for about 15 seconds)
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour
2 c. pecans or walnuts (chopped)

Cream sugar, butter, and shortening. Add eggs, mix well, and make sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl. Add flour, and baking soda, mix until combined. Then add bananas. Set this mixture aside.

For the streusel topping, cream butter and sugar together (the butter should be very soft). Add flour and combine completely, the mixture should look like a crumble. With your hands mix in the chopped nuts. You want to have some texture to the streusel, so with your hands you can clump it together while mixing. Add just over half the streusel to the muffin mixture and lightly fold in. There should be waves of streusel in the mixture, you do not want to over mix this!!

Scoop the muffin mixture into the liners, going about 2/3 up. This recipe should make about 3 dozen muffins (but on the smaller side). Or you can make 2 dozen, and make a loaf with the remaining, which is what I do. Sprinkle the remaining streusel on top of the muffins generously. You can pat it down slightly to make sure it sticks.

Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes, if your oven tends to burn, bake at 325. When the muffins are done a toothpick will come out clean. Make sure to not overcook them, they’re much more delicious when still moist.

For a loaf, cook at 325 for close to 45 minutes.

Easter Brunch ideas!!!

Cinnamon Rolls

sugar mixture:

1/2 c. shortening

3/8 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1/2 c. hot water

yeast mixture:

1 T. yeast

1/4 c. warm water

(combine and let sit)

2 eggs

3 3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. cold water

Filling:

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. cinnamon

1 T. nutmeg

1/3 c. butter

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Add hot water to sugar mixture, lightly whisk. Add eggs and yeast to the sugar mixture, lightly whisk. Add flour alternately with cold water mixing until all of flour has been added. The dough will still be a little gooey.

Rollout on a floured surface until it is a large rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, and roll length wise. The dough will be cut into about 15 pieces (about 1 1/2 inches). Place in a buttered 9x13 pan. Cover and let raise for about 45 minutes (the dough should double in size). Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces of cream cheese (half a box)

2 T. milk

4 T. butter

1 T. vanilla

dash of salt

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese until softened, add milk slowly, and continue to beat until lumps are gone. Add melted butter vanilla and salt, beat until completely combined. Add powdered sugar slowly and mix till combined (don't beat on high).

banana nut bread

This recipe is so easy! I really hope you try it out. You can cut it in half to make just one loaf. I added some helpful notes at the bottom, but the recipe is easy to follow and will definitely turn out every time.




1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. shortening
½ c. butter
4 eggs
3 ¾ c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 c. chopped pecans, or walnuts
5 mashed bananas
3 T. honey, or corn syrup

Cream sugars, butter, and shortening. Add eggs, mix well, and make sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl. Add flour, and baking soda, mix until combined. Then add bananas, honey, and nuts. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tooth pick comes out clean. This recipe makes 2 loaves.

*I usually check the recipe at about 45 minutes. The edges will most likely be browned, and so I usually place a piece of foil, shinny side down, under both pans and wrap it up around the edges, so it can keep cooking, but it keeps the heat off the bottom and sides. Also, with about 5 or 10 minutes to go, I’ll add a few thin slices of butter to the top and sprinkle some brown sugar down the middle, it makes for a more appealing presentation.

*In case you haven’t noticed, I like to add honey to a lot of my recipes. When I worked in a bakery a few years ago, I learned that by adding corn syrup to our chocolate chip cookie recipe it made it so the cookies stayed chewy for a few days, not just right out of the oven; and since my family has bees and we make honey, I have it readily available. Honey also tastes just so amazing. So I have incorporated this trick into most of my recipes, it keeps things moist, chewy, sweet, and delicious. Corn syrup will do the same trick, just without the added flavor.