I tend to over-buy bananas. Actually — scratch that. I buy bananas that my kids say they’ll eat, but which are then forgotten as they head out the door for school. Either way, I usually end up with a few bananas on the counter that are going to go bad really quick if I don’t put them to good use, and that usually involves making banana bread.

I had never thought about adding chocolate chips before, though. I don’t know why, we all know that chocolate and bananas go well together! So, I found a recipe for a basic banana bread …read more

Oh you guys, I think I’ve found the most decadent chocolate dessert I’ve ever made. These bars are amazing. Over the weekend I was doing a search over at Food Network and this was on the front page. On a whim I decided to give them a shot because wow, that’s a lot of chocolate and I needed to try it!
So they were originally called Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars. Here’s the thing: I’m not terribly crazy about hard candy — and especially candy canes — crunched up on top of softer desserts. I like them on their own …read more

One of my most favorite cookies to eat and bake are chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. There’s just so much you can do to them to make everyone happy – even going so far as to split the cookie dough up before adding anything special so everyone gets the additions they want. I’ve got three kids, it works well!
My personal favorite add-ins are chocolate chips, raisins and chopped walnuts. My husband and one of my daughters don’t like the raisins, and my other two daughters don’t like the walnuts. Oddly, everyone likes the chocolate chips. Can’t imagine where they get that. …read more

9 ounces (1.25 cups) dark chocolate, chopped
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with aluminum foil or parchment. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Stir until completely smooth.
Add in the walnuts and marshmallows, stirring until they are completely covered with chocolate. Drop by teaspoonfuls on the cookie sheet, and chill in the refrigerator until set.
[image: flickr]

I saw Alton Brown make the banana ice cream base for this on Good Eats last week and since I had bananas already in the freezer (being saved for banana bread) I decided to give it a shot (the banana bread cane wait for another day!). I like that it doesn’t use eggs but still turns out nice and creamy!
This is a plan ahead recipe – the bananas need to be frozen at least overnight, and the finished ice cream needs to go in the freezer for at least three hours before serving.
I’m not big on bananas necessarily – I …read more