Bananas! Pudding, Snack Cake, and Cookies recipes

I purchased a crate of ripe bananas from the commissary for $5. I was thrilled with this bargain! Little did I realize how many bananas this box really held!

After I hauled the box home I started looking up banana recipes. There are a zillion recipes for banana bread but I wanted something more exciting than that. Let's see, there's pudding, muffins, cake, cream pie, smoothies, frozen pops, ice cream, fruit pie, won tons, and there must be more that I haven't thought of yet.

I started the cooking with fresh banana pudding.

Fresh Banana Pudding

makes 4 (1/2-cup) servings
2 very ripe, brown bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 small vanilla pod, split open OR 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh whole milk
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, add banana slices, vanilla pod or extract, and whole milk. Heat milk until you see steam or vapors rising up from the milk. Do not stir. Remove from heat and set aside. Allow the mixture to steep for 45 minutes to 1-hour.

Strain milk into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Discard banana and vanilla pod. If the milk doesn't quite measure 2 cups, add enough cream or whole milk to top it off. Pour flavored milk back into the 2-quart pan. Beat in 2 egg yolks. Slowly heat it up over medium heat. Stir constantly until hot, but not simmering. This takes up to 5 minutes.

Coating the back of the spoon

Sift sugar, cornstarch and salt together. Gradually whisk dry ingredients into milk mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture begins to thicken, 2 to 4 minutes maybe. Check thickness using a wooden spoon. Does the pudding adhere to the back of the spoon? If no, keep stirring. If yes, keep reading. As soon as you see it thickening, remove it from the heat. Once it starts to thicken, it gets thicker rather quickly.

Remove pan from heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until melted.

Pour pudding into a serving bowl or individual cups. Cover with plastic wrap, allow the plastic to come in contact with the pudding. This prevents a skin from forming on the top. Chill in icebox for 1 1/2 to 2-hours.

If you're feeling impatient. This fresh banana pudding tastes great warm, too. Try it for yourself and see.

This is what you use when you haven't got any glass dishes to display the pudding.  It tastes wonderful even in such plebian ware.

Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
This cake is only about two inches tall, but it's very tasty.
Yield 1 - 8x8 cake

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1 egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x8 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, egg, melted butter and milk.
4. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until blended. Be careful not to over mix.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into 8x8 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. (It will have some melted chocolate, but no crumbs.)


Frosted Banana Cookies

These are the best banana cookies I've ever eaten! The frosting makes them decadent. This is so yummy!

Ingredients
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup solid Crisco shortening
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon banana flavoring (can omit and increase vanilla to 1 tsp)
2 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

The fastest way to mash a banana

1 heaping tablespoon sour cream
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour

Frosting:
6 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup whole milk or half and half
4 tablespoons butter
powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For cookies, cream together butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg, flavorings, bananas and sour cream; beat well. Add dry ingredients; mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, until bottoms are just lightly browned. Cool and frost.

For frosting, combine brown sugar, milk and butter in saucepan; bring to a rolling boil. Remove pan from heat; beat in enough powdered sugar to make frosting spreadable; beat in vanilla. As this frosting cools, it will become difficult to spread. If this happens, reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds, or add a bit more milk to thin it. I like to frost the cookies while the frosting - and the cookies - are still just a bit warm, so that it drapes over the cookie and coats it nicely.