Joey's Banana Bread Trifle

 

 

 Here's a little showstopper of a dessert that I recently made for my family's Thanksgiving Dessert Party. It's basically a variation on a banana pudding, but as always, I can't leave well enough alone, and decided to PLUS it. 

 A banana pudding is usually layers of sliced bananas, vanilla pudding, and Nilla wafers. But then I thought, why not make it into a trifle? (Side note, my niece, Natalie, stated that a banana pudding is already a trifle, but one could argue that a trifle has cake in it, or in this case, banana bread.. but that's a debate for another time... )

 Anyway, I still wanted to include the Nilla Wafers, but then decided to guild the lily and push it over the top with crushed Heath Bars as well. BOOM.

 Everyone raved about it! I mean, nothing against all of the other homemade desserts, but this may or may not have been the talk of the dessert table. Just sayin! I'm pretty sure I've just added this to my growing list of "must make" holiday desserts for my family. My nephew, Will, told me I need to post this IMMEDIATELY.. Glad you liked it, William!

 So if you're a fan of banana pudding, you absolutely MUST try it. I PROMISE you'll get rave reviews from your family and friends. It's perfect for your next holiday gathering. Enjoy!

 

  

2 cups cold milk
1 (5oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream

Crushed Nilla wafers

6-8 ripe bananas, sliced, (or more if needed)

1 homemade or store bought Banana Bread,  cut into cubes

Crushed Heath Bars or Heath Toffee Bits


In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until the powder is dissolved and the pudding begins to thicken. 
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. 

Gently fold the sweetened condensed milk into whipped cream. 

Now gently fold the sweetened cream into the pudding. 

You’re ready to layer! 
In a tall sided glass bowl, create layers in this order:

pudding

banana bread cubes

banana slices

crushed Nilla wafers

toffee bits 

Finish by ending with pudding on top.

Garnish with more crushed Nilla wafers and Heath bits. 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. 



Tips:
When you’re whipping the cream, you want to go to soft peaks or just beyond, but you don’t want to over whip it. Otherwise it’ll break and turn into butter, which is great and all, but that’s not what we’re looking for here!
When layering, I like to make pretty layers around the edges by standing the banana slices up against the side of the bowl before adding the other ingredients. You'll use more bananas, but it makes for a nicer presentation! Plus, like I always say, more is more!

The best way to make sure you come out even when layering is to divide the pudding into thirds, and divide the other ingredients in half. 3 layers of pudding, two layers of everything else, got it?
If you don’t have a tall sided glass bowl, just use any pretty serving bowl. You can even make it in a 9x13 casserole dish. 

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

 

 

  This is one of those old stand-by tried and true recipes that made me say "why have I never posted this?" 

I was recently mixing up a batch, and I thought, wait... have I ever shared this? Nope. Never did. So I immediately needed to remedy that. And here it is! 

 It's a perfect Hershey's chocolate cookie with lots and lots of Reese's peanut butter chips. It's literally up there with some of my all-time faves. It absolutely stands the test of time, and it's a classic for a reason. One bite and you'll understand. If you're a peanut butter/chocolate lover and you've never tasted one, what are you even doing with your life? Yes, I'm judging you. You need to whip up a batch, like right now! You'll thank me later! 

 

 

 

 

 2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1⁄4 cups (2-1⁄2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 (10 oz pkg.) Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips


Heat oven to 350°F. 
Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with mixer until fluffy. 
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. 
Stir in peanut butter chips. 
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do NOT over bake; cookies will be soft. 
They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling). 
Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.


Tips:
-When creaming the butter and sugar, be sure to let it go for a good 3-5 minutes. I find that it takes longer than you think to really incorporate those two ingredients. You’ll wind up with a much better product! 
-Anytime I make a peanut butter dessert, I always like to add an extra little pinch of salt. Just that tiny bit of extra saltiness really brings out the peanutty flavor. And as my Kristin always says.. “ The peanut butterier the better!”

Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies

  I was recently on the hunt for a really good go-to lemon cookie, and as always I had certain search criteria: Of course I wanted a strong hit of lemon, but then I also wanted the texture to be fabulously crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.... definitely not cakey, but kind of like a sugar cookie, only a perfect lemon version. With me so far?

 Then I found this recipe from a blog called Kroll's Korner. It's literally everything I just described, and I seriously could've eaten the entire batch. Not even kidding. SO GOOD! It was the perfect thing to bring to my friend, Mary, who had requested a batch of lemon cookies. 

 So, now I can add another delicious recipe to my repertoire for all of my friends who are constantly asking me for "anything lemon." Pretty sure this is now my new go-to recipe. Pretty sure it'll be yours too!  

 

 

 

12 tbs (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs lemon zest
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. lemon extract (or 1 tsp. each lemon and vanilla extract)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling & garnishing

 

 

 Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Pro tip: you can rub the lemon zest and sugars together between your fingertips to help release the natural oils in the lemon and infuse even more lemon flavor into the cookies). Add eggs and extract(s), mix again.
Add the dry ingredients in a mound with baking soda on top.
Add the lemon juice on top of the baking soda, it will foam = activated.
Mix just until combined. Do not over mix.
You can refrigerate the dough now as is or scoop and roll into balls and then refrigerate. Balls will be about ~1 ½-2 tbsp. in size. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Add about 1/4 cup granulated sugar into a bowl and roll the balls in the granulated sugar.
Bake for 10-12 min. DO NOT OVERBAKE. These need to be very soft and chewy.
Swirl a cup around the cookies when they come out of the oven (while they’re still warm) to make them perfect circles.
Sprinkle the tops of cookies with more granulated sugar for a sparkly look and lemon zest if desired.
Rest on a cookie sheet for just 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
They will look puffy out of the oven but settle as they cool.

 

 

Tips:

 The most important thing is to make sure you chill the dough before baking. I opted to mix up the dough, roll it into balls, then in sugar, then refrigerate them on a parchment lined tray. I chilled them for over an hour, and then took the trays right from the fridge to the oven. They turned out perfectly! I know the directions say to swirl a glass over them to make them perfectly round, but there didn't seem to be any need, at least this time.

I used a cookie scoop, and I wound up with about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. If you'd like to double the recipe, I would suggest mixing up two batches instead of doubling the ingredients. It seems to me that some cookie recipes work better when you mix up separate batches instead of doubling. I'm talking to YOU, Snickerdoodles. 

Also I think I'd like to add more lemon zest next time. More is more, right?! I also wondered how it would taste if I used orange and/or lime zest instead of (or in addition to) the lemon. I think I need to make another batch and try it!

Joey's 1-2-3-4 Hot Apple Cider

 

  OK, I know I say this a lot, but this is one of my favorite things that I've ever made. 

I was recently planning a little Fall Hang for some of my dearest friends, and I wanted something to have while sitting around the bonfire. The obvious choice would have been s'mores, but then I thought of doing hot apple cider, just to keep everyone warm on a crisp Autumn night. Great idea, right?! But maybe lets zhuzh it up a little, shall we?

 I knew I wanted to add some spice, but I find that all too often people go crazy with the warm spices. Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg... It's too much! I certainly didn't want it to turn into a big pot of potpourri! So I limited it to just a couple cinnamon sticks, and then decided to add a few sliced oranges to the mix, just to brighten it up. No extra spice needed! A little extra sweetness from some brown sugar and it was perfect!! I'm not even kidding when I tell you how delicious it is! It's the perfect blend of sweet and spice! Of course, it was a big hit, and everyone immediately said how perfect it would be for the holidays. I instantly pictured curling up in front of the fireplace with a warm mug. 

 So whether you're entertaining, or just cozying up with a good book, you absolutely MUST give this one a try during this holiday season! I promise you'll love it!!

 

 

 

1 large orange

2 cinnamon sticks

3 quarts apple cider

4 tbs brown sugar

 

 

Using a vegetable peeler, remove just the outer orange zest of the orange peel. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the white pith and discard, leaving just the orange. Slice into segments. 

 Place the zest and orange segments into a small crock pot along with remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust sweetness, if needed. Set it to HIGH for an hour or two, then turn to WARM. 

The longer it simmers, the better it is! 

 

Note: This smells absolutely HEAVENLY while it's warming in the crock pot. It would be VERY festive to have a  pot full of cider going throughout your holiday open house. Just sayin!

 

 

 

Tips:

The most important part of this recipe is not what goes in it, but rather what stays out. Yes, you could easily just slice an orange and throw it in, but the orange peel can be very bitter if you don't remove the white pith. Just take 3 extra minutes to peel off the orange zest, then cut off the pith. It makes all the difference in the world. 

Use any kind of apple cider you like. Some are sweeter, some are more tart. If you're favorite cider is very sweet, just cut back (or even omit) the brown sugar. If it's not very tart, just add a little splash of lemon juice.  

For a little extra holiday cheer, add a little splash of bourbon, brandy, or spiced rum!