Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Well...it's finally here. After a heck of a week at school after learning some wonderful (side eye) news on Monday, the cat will finally be out of the bag. Everyone will know my secret - no, I'm not pregnant, sorry to disappoint - and I can finally move on with my life. So what do you do when you're faced with something you can tell no one about? You stress eat. My stress eat food of choice - cookies and many many others. 

For me to like something with peanut butter and banana blended together is really saying something. I know that I've made and blogged about peanut butter banana quesadillas before, but I really was not a fan at all. I think it's a texture issue. The sliminess of the banana with the sticky of the peanut butter just doesn't work for me. But both of them mixed together are a wonderfully delicious combination. I hope that all of you enjoy your weekends! 

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup mashed banana (from 1 sm/med)

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter. Beat in egg until smooth, then mix in the peanut butter and mashed banana. 

Working by hand or with a mixer on low speed, blend dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture. Stir in the oats.

Shape dough into tablespoons and place on baking sheet, flattening each slightly with your fingers.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies just begin to turn golden around the edges.

Cool on a wire rack.

Source: BakingBites

Friday Night Craziness

Proof that, for a short while, we were on task.

Things have been absolutely crazy lately - it seems as if I can't catch a break. One of the things I love most about my sister is that she knows me probably better than anyone else in this world - and can read my stress. She knows when I'm stressed out, it's time to bake. That's exactly what we did last night. When deciding what to make, I knew what my choice was right away. I had seen this moonpie recipe on Annie's Eats earlier in the morning and couldn't get them out of my head. Ria's reaction to my choice, "ooh, yummy." I think the night is best summed up in pictures. 

I love this cookie.

My name is Lisa, and I scrunch my nose in pictures. 

Enter a bad mix of Pandora, sugar, and flat out exhaustion. The pepper mill made an appearance, as did the cabbage patch, and a very horrible rendition of the wave. Yes, I am wearing dress pants and shoes with a Pitt t-shirt. 

Ingredients
For the cookies:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. coarse salt
2¼ cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the filling:
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6 oz. marshmallow fluff
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk (optional)For the drizzle: 
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend, and set aside. 


In a large bowl, combine the oats, cherries, pecans, and chocolate. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend the egg and vanilla. 


With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour mixture, beating  just until incorporated. Fold in the oat mixture with a spatula until incorporated. 
Place dough balls on the baking sheets, spacing each 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes total, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. 


To make the filling, place the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Blend in the confectioner's sugar until incorporated. Beat in the marshmallow fluff and vanilla until ight and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Blend in milk gradually until a smooth consistency is reached, if necessary. 


Match the cookies up in pairs by size. Place a dollop of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair, and sandwich the cookies together, pushing the filling to the edge. 


To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, remove from the heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Let stand 1-2 minutes. Whisk in small circular motions until a smooth ganache has formed. Whisk in the butter until completely incorporated. Let the mixture stand at room temperature until slightly thickened. Drizzle over the assembled cookies. 


Source: Annie's Eats

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit

My school participates in the Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative and I support it as much as I possibly can. Teaching students about health, nutrtition, and fitness? I'm all for it. Being at the school at 7am so the students can sample a healthy breakfast? Not so much.

When all the other teachers were groaning that a class would be in charge of the mandatory tasting table each month, I immediately signed up for the first possible date. On a test, I asked the students to make the choice between homemade fruit leather and baked oatmeal. They chose the baked oatmeal.

We decided as a combined class that we would make three different combinations - banana blueberry, peach raspberry, and apple cinnamon raisin.

Ingredients:1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled sliced ½-inch thick
(or peaches, apples, or any fruit you like)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), divided
(or raspberries, raisins or anything you like)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.  In a medium bowl, combine
 the rolled oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Stir with a fork to combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.  Spread
the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries.  

Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer.  Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set.  Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Source: Annie's Eats, Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson via The Curvy Carrot