Banoffee Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • about 10 graham crackers
  • 5 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 bananas
  • 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • optional: dark chocolate to shave on top

Preheat your oven to 350

You can put the can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of boiling water for 2 hours..but since that can result in an explosion..I avoided that method like the plague.

So, get a deep sided pan large enough to put a partially submerged pie plate in. Place a pie plate inside the pan and pour out your sweetened condensed milk. Put warm water into the pan until its about half way up the pie plate. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours.

For the crust, if you choose, you can just get one of those premade graham cracker crusts. Making it yourself is super easy though. Crush 10 graham crackers..either by hand or in a food processor. Stir in the sugar and melted butter. Then just press it in a pie pan by hand or with the help of a flat bottomed measuring cup. Set aside until your toffee concoction is done.

After 2 long hours, carefully remove the toffee colored gloop from the pan and set aside to cool. I stirred mine a little so that it smoothed out..it was a bit chunky at first.

Put your pie crust into the oven for 15 min.

Make your whipped cream. For the love of all things holy, please do not opt for Cool Whip. Just don’t..

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on med-high speed for about 4 minutes until you get medium-stiff peaks.

Once your pie crust and toffee gloop have cooled, spread it into the crust. then slice your bananas and layer them on top. Then add your whipped cream. Super simple construction!

mmmm bananas..
Finished product. Doesn’t have to be perfect, but still super delicious

Fresh Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cup AP Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Grated Ginger
  • 3/4 cup Butter (softened)
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Molasses
  • 1 egg

In a separate bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

Peel and grate your fresh ginger and add it into the bowl with your butter and sugar. Beat until fluffy.

Add in your molasses and egg and beat until combined.

Add in half of your dry ingredients and beat until combined. Add the rest and then just mix until just combined. (I’d do this by hand)

Put about 1/2-3/4 cup of sugar in a bowl. This is additional sugar. Don’t Panic! I didn’t add it into the initial list of ingredients. Form about 1/2 sized balls of dough and then roll it in sugar before placing on a cookie sheet.

I recommend using parchment paper because I’m lazy as fuck..and its super easy.

So, line your cookie sheet, and place your balls about 2 inches apart. . The cookies..keep your mind out of the gutter.

Okay..back on subject. Bake for about 15 minutes and let them cool for about a minute on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooking rack.

This are super duper yummy and easy to make. I personally really love the bite of fresh ginger so you could add a little more than the recommended 2 tablespoons if you like and I think they’d still be delicious. Just make sure to let your friends and family know there is fresh ginger in there since it kinda looks like hair…..

Basic AF Bread

Preheat oven to 175 (unless its nice and warm in your house)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons instant (because I’m impatient) active dry yeast
  • 2/3 cup of sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt
  • 1/4 cup oil (I use canola)
  • 6 cups All-Purpose Flour

Put your warm water in your mixer (or your bowl if you don’t have a stand mixer) add your yeast and your sugar and let sit for about 5 min.

Once your water/yeast mixture is all foamy, add your salt and oil and mix.

Add your flour one cup at a time, making sure to incorporate in between additions.

Then mix until the dough is smooth.

Oil a large mixing bowl and then scrape your dough out into your oiled bowl and toss around to coat it. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place in your preheated (to 175 and then turned off) oven and let rise for an hour.

After an hour, your dough should have roughly doubled. Punch down its hopes and dreams and then divide into two greased loaf pans. Cover your loaf pans with your damp kitchen towel and let rise again for another hour.

Preheat oven to 350F

Once your loaves have risen, bake for 30 minutes.

That’s it. You’re done. Pop those bad boys out of your pans and let them cool completely. You can leave them out overnight to cool, if like me, you started doing this process in the evening and now you’re so damn tired the thought of staying up another hour makes you want to take a nap on the floor.. Where was I? After they’re cooled, you can simply wrap them in tin foil. Or whatever your preferred method of bread- keeping is.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Ingredients Needed

Preheat oven to 350 F

Cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • mix about 1/2 tsp of sugar with 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and set aside

Filling

  • 1 med green apple (or any other tart apple)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 small lemon
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp corn starch

Buttercream

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp cream
  • 1/2 – 2/3 cup caramel + extra for drizzle

I’ve always hated when I’m trying to find a recipe and have to scroll and scroll and scroll to find it. So, there ya go! Right up top 🙂

  • Start by whisking your flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together – set aside
  • Beat butter and sugar until creamed
  • add eggs one at a time, making sure they’re incorporated before adding the next
  • add vanilla
  • Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk (should take roughly 3 installments)

Don’t overmix. Fill your lined cupcake tray about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture over your unbaked cupcakes

Bake for 15-20 min (check around 12 min)

While your cupcakes are baking, start by dicing up your peeled and cored apple

  • In a pan, combine diced apple, brown sugar, and lemon juice ( you may adjust sugar and lemon amounts by taste)
  • when apples start to get soft, use a potato masher to squish them down to an almost applesauce consistency( think chunky applesauce)
  • add cornstarch to thicken

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 min

The buttercream is just a basic buttercream recipe. No frills.

  • Cream together butter and powdered sugar
  • add cream
  • Slowly add caramel and taste as you go

You can use homemade or store bought caramel sauce. I personally just used store bought because we had it in the house and what else was I going to use it for?

For the drizzle, I used roughly 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce and added salt to taste. Heat it in the microwave for 10-15 second bursts so that the salt will melt. Put as much or as little on top of the cupcakes as you like. You can also omit this step completely if you prefer.

Thats it! If you make this, let me know how it goes 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKRSwaz7J4E&t=31s