Chocolate Banana Cookies

Chocolate Banana Cookies
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 42.

The next time you have bananas on hand that are past their prime, you might consider making these cookies. I usually them for banana bread but now I have this option. These cookies are very soft with the exception of an occasional nut and those could be left out if you don't want them. The recipe makes 55 large cookies.

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, cut into pieces
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Scant 1/2 tsp. salt
3 small or 2 large ripe bananas (to make 1 cup mashed)
5 1/3 oz. (10 2/3 TBS.) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
6 oz. (generous 1 1/2 cups) walnuts, cut or broken into medium-sized pieces

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate over simmering water.

 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Use overly ripened bananas.

Mash the bananas in a mixer on low speed (or you can use a potato masher or other tool).

Cream the butter.

Add the vanilla, beat well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well.

Add the sugar, mixing well.

On low speed, add half of the flour mixture.

Add the cooled chocolate.

Add the mashed bananas.

Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and beat only until smooth.

Stir in the nuts.

 Use a heaping teaspoonful for each cookie. Place them 2 inches apart on the cooking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, reversing the pans half-way through to ensure even baking. They are done when the tops spring back firmly when lightly pressed. Remove from oven, let them sit for a minute before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Texas Chocolate Muffins

Texas Chocolate Muffins
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 287.

We had a retirement brunch for a co-worker this week and I made these muffins and Maida's Bran Muffins. As she says in her introduction, these are not really muffins but more like brownie cupcakes. Keep an eye on your baking time. She says 33-35 minutes but they were done for me in 20 minutes. This recipe makes 12 large muffins.

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
3 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
7 oz. (2 cups) toasted pecans, broken into large pieces

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter and line a standard 12-muffin pan.

Sift together the flour, salt and cocoa and set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolates together in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted and smooth.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar.

Stir in the eggs, one at a time.

Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add the dry ingredients, stirring until smooth

Add the nuts

The mixture will be thick and gooey. Add it to the muffin liners, filling to the tops.

Bake for 20 - 35 minutes (depending on your oven), until tester comes out clean or barely clean. Do not overbake. Cool on a rack. When cool, the muffins will develop a hard and crunchy crust.

Bran Muffins

Bran Muffins
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 274.

These muffins are moist, dark and sweet. They can be made ahead and baked the next morning or are good stored in an airtight container. The recipe makes 18 muffins. I used 2 standard 12 muffin pans and just filled the second with 6 muffins.

2 oz. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup dark or light molasses or honey
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup bran cereal
5 oz. (1 cup) raisins
4 oz. (1 cup) walnuts, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose whole wheat flour (stir lightly to aerate before measuring)
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose white flour (stir lightly to aerate before measuring)
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 400. Adjust rack to center of the oven. Butter and line muffin pans with paper liners (you can also make them without the liners).

Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.

Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl.

Add the sugar

Add the honey (or molasses)

In a separate small bowl, beat the eggs only to mix.

Gradually add the milk and mix.

Slowly add the egg mixture to the butter mixture, stirring with a wire whisk to blend.

Add the bran.

Add the raisins.





Add the walnuts.

Sift together the whole wheat flour, the all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda.

Add the sifted ingredients to the bran mixture.

Stir with a rubber spatula very little and quickly, only until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, just until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Baking may take a few minutes longer if you refrigerated the wet ingredients overnight. Cool on racks.

Variations: You can add about 12 coarsely cut dates or 6 coarsely cut dried prunes along with the raisins. Or add a few spoonfuls of pumpkin or unsalted sunflower seeds along with the nuts. Or sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds before baking.

Deep South Chocolate Ice Cream

Deep South Chocolate Ice Cream Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 454.

In Maida's introduction to this recipe, she says that she could not stop eating it at a New Year's buffet at a Mississippi plantation. She also said that people passed around bottles of Grand Mariner to pour over the ice cream. Grand Mariner is already an ingredient in the recipe - in fact, a generous 1/3 cup! However, I didn't notice the flavor when eating the ice cream. It does have an incredibly rich coffee flavor (I used expresso powder).

The ice cream is delicious and very, very rich. It is silky smooth and very soft.

I also made Maida's Chocolate Caramel Sauce to accompany it. This is serious ice cream and I see why she couldn't stop eating it!

A note in advance - it helps to have on hand at least 2 mixer bowls, 2 small saucepans and a double boiler. There are several things going on at once!

2 TBS instant coffee or expresso
1/2 cup boiling water
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
5 egg yolks
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup creme de cacao or Grand Mariner
3 cups heavy cream

Dissolve the coffee or expresso granules in the boiling water.

Transfer the water/coffee mixture to a double boiler and add the chocolate. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Add the Grand Mainer or creme de cacao to the chocolate after it has cooled and transfer to a mixing bowl. (It helps to have multiple mixing bowls for this recipe).

Beat the egg yolks at high speed until they are thick and lemon colored.

Mix the 1/4 cup water with sugar and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. Stir over high heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil.

Let it boil without stirring until it reaches 230 degrees (about 3 minutes).

Add the hot syrup slowly, in a thin stream, to the beaten eggs., stirring at high speed. Continue to beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture has cooled. 

If you have not done so already, you will need to transfer the melted chocolate to a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk mixture to the chocolate mixture, beating only until blended.

Finally, mix in the heavy cream.

The mixture should be very cold before adding it to your ice cream freezer. It can be stored in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight or even chilled in the freezer. After it has chilled, add it to your ice cream mixer and follow the maufacturers' instructions.

Chocolate Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Caramel Sauce
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 260.

This is a variation of the Basic Chocolate Sauce. This sauce doesn't harden on the ice cream and remains syrupy. It can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 TBS butter
1/2 pint (1 cup) light cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place chocolate in a double boiler and melt over barely simmering water. (This can also be done in a heavy saucepan, just be careful to not burn the chocolate.)

Stir in the sugar, salt, butter. If you are using a double boiler, remove it and place it directly on the stove eye.

Gradually add the cream, stirring until smooth.

Increase the heat slightly to low-medium and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Do not boil.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Serve warm or at room temperature.