Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Banana Bread

For this month's Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned to Danielle's blog, Mostly Food and Crafts.  She is a stay at home mother to two lovely children.  And, from the looks of her blog, she is one amazing mother too. There are so many posts about recipes and crafts that she made, not by herself, but with her children.  I can only imagine how much fun they must have together and how much they are learning every day.  And, since Danielle herself is a fantastic cook and crafter, you know that they're learning from the best!  

While browsing through her blog, I came across some very yummy recipes that I wanted to try:  Toffee Squares (which I still intend to make this week), Rosemary Sriracha Chicken (oh yes!), and her Swirled Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecake (decadent and so pretty).  But, the recipe I decided to go with was her Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Banana Bread.  It seemed to combine all of my favorites - banana bread, pumpkin bread, and cinnamon bread, all in one.  Now how could I resist that?

The bread was super moist and flavorful.  And it was interesting because sometimes you would take a bite and taste more banana, and other times you would take a bite and taste more pumpkin.  Of course, all the bites were super delicious and that cinnamon swirl completed the trifecta.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Banana Bread (adapted from Mostly Food and Crafts)

2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I increased this to 1 1/2 tsp.)
3/4 c. pumpkin puree
2 ripe bananas, mashed
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/3 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

For the swirl:
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (I increased this to 1 Tbsp.)

Combine the bananas and pumpkin and mix well.  Add in the brown sugar, butter, and yogurt, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.  Combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients, mixing till just combined.  Grease 4 mini loaf pans.  Fill each pan with 1/2 c. batter.  Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Top off with 1/2 c. of batter and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

An InLinkz Link-up

Lemon Almond Crumb Bars

I absolutely love lemon bars.  In fact, once I went on a search for the best one and ended up making three different recipes.  And it seems that my family must love lemon bars just as much as I do because they had no problem gobbling up each of the attempts.  I honestly didn't think that there was a way to make them any better, but I was wrong.  This recipe switches out the powdered sugar topping with a lovely, crumbly, almond-y layer.  Oh my!  It's a great way to counteract the sweetness of the filling and also gives a contrast in texture to the smoothness inside.  I added a little candied ginger too and these bars were oh so tasty.  I think I may have just found my new fave lemon bar. 

Lemon Almond Crumb Bars (adapted from Bake or Break)

Crust:
1 c. all-purpose flour
pinch salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 c. sugar

Filling:
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Topping:
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
pinch salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold
1/4 c. sliced almonds
3 Tbsp. crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter until mixture is pea-sized.  Press into a parchment paper lined 8x8 pan and bake at 350F for 15-20 min., or until lightly browned.

For the filling:
Whisk together the eggs and sugar.  Mix in the lemon juice and zest, then add in the flour.  Pour over the crust and bake 15-20 min.

For the topping:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter.  Mix in the almonds and chopped ginger.  Pinch the mixture together to make large crumbs and scatter over the filling.  Bake 20-25 min. (I baked mine for 30 minutes), or till lightly browned and almonds are toasted.  Let cool, then chill in the fridge before cutting into bars. 

Double Decker Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

When I was in fourth grade, my teacher taught us how to make a peanut butter pie.  It was the first time I had ever eaten one and I thought it was the best thing ever.  Naturally, I asked her for the recipe so I could keep making it again and again.  And I did, at least a couple more times.  But, years passed and the recipe got pushed to the back of my box.  Suddenly, the other day, I found myself thinking about it.  But, I figured I would really kick it up this time.  After all, do you know what's better than a peanut butter pie?  A chocolate peanut butter pie, with more chocolate and peanut butter, and Reeses peanut butter cups for even more chocolatey peanut buttery goodness.  Oh yes!  

So, that's exactly what I did.  I filled a crust with melted chocolate, topped it off with the peanut butter cream cheese layer, then made a layer of chocolate cream cheese on top of that.  Drizzled the pie with chocolate ganache and melted peanut butter, and sprinkled chopped peanut butter cups to finish it off.  The result was smooth, creamy, rich and decadent.  It brought back the memories of that pie from fourth grade and is still one of the best things ever.   

Double Decker Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

1 baked pie crust
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Chocolate layer:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. half-and half
1/2 (8 oz.) container of Cool Whip

Peanut Butter Layer:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1/2 (8 oz.) container of Cool Whip

For topping:
chocolate ganache
1 Tbsp. peanut butter, microwaved for 30 seconds
5 mini Reeses peanut butter cups, chopped

Bake the pie crust as directed.  Melt the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and spread into the baked pie crust, on the bottom and sides.  

For the chocolate layer:
Combine the chocolate and half-and-half in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave, on 50% powder, for 1 minute.  Stir together until well combined.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the ganache.

Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, and then beat in the rest of the chocolate ganache.  Fold in the Cool Whip. 

For the peanut butter layer:
Beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and milk until smooth and well combined.  Fold in the Cool Whip.  

For the assembly:
Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly in the crust.  Spread the chocolate mixture evenly on top of the peanut butter layer.  Drizzle with the reserved ganache and melted peanut butter.  Sprinkle with the chopped peanut butter cups.  Chill in the fridge for 4 hours before serving. 


 Chocolate cream cheese layer from Chocolate Chocolate and More