Bananas! Black Bottom Bars, Doughnuts and Whoopie Pies recipes

I purchased another case of bananas. Whodda thought five dollars could buy so much fun?
Today's banana recipe lineup includes a not-very-sweet black bottom banana bars, banana doughnuts, and banana whoopie pies.

Black Bottom Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup baking cocoa

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in bananas. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to 1/2 of mix; spread into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bars test done. Cool. Freezes well.
Makes: 2-1/2 to 3 dozen

Top layer swirled with bottom

Bottom chocolate layer

I love making doughnuts. I like mixing the dough, rolling it out and cutting out the pieces with my spiffy doughnut cutter. I love slipping the dough into the hot oil and watching it turn golden. I love the way the holes puff up and become little golden balls. I like looking at the end results and feeling so dang accomplished. And I love having my family think I'm a super mom. Too bad the only thing healthy about doughnuts is what it does for my morale.

This recipe made 20 doughnuts plus holes.

2 doughnuts were eaten before I could even take the photo!

Banana Doughnuts Recipe

5 cups sifted flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Fat for deep frying

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg.
Beat shortening until creamy.
Add sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and beat well.
Add combined bananas, milk and vanilla to creamed mixture and blend.
Add flour mixture and mix until smooth.
Turn a small amount of dough onto, a lightly floured board.
Knead very lightly.
Roll dough out to 3/8-inch thickness.
Cut with a floured 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter.
Heat fat to 375°F. or until a 1-inch cube of bread will turn golden brown in about 40 seconds.
Slip doughnuts, a couple at a time into the hot fat.
Fry about 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Drain on absorbent paper.


What's not to like about Whoopie Pies? When Oldest Daughter was a teenager, a young male friend called her Smiley Pies, the other name for Whoopie Pies. Now, Whoopie Pies make me smile as I think of my children when they were little kids.

These little cookies are super rich and decadent.  I was rather sloppy about putting in the filling and the photo definitely shows it, but dang, these little pies are really yummy! They are disappearing fast over here!

Banana Whoopie Pies

Makes about 3 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed banana (from 1 large ripe banana)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Combine banana and sour cream in another bowl.
2. Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed, until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, beating until incorporated. Add banana mixture in 2 additions, alternating with flour mixture.

The dough flattens out while baking

3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Pipe batter into 1 1/4-inch rounds on baking sheets, spacing rounds 1 1/2 inches apart.
4. Bake until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Slide parchment, with cookies, onto wire racks. Let cool. (Unfilled cookies can be stored for up to 1 day.)
5. Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
6. Pipe or spoon 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture onto the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately.