Banana Naner Ice Cream and Cookies and Cream Naner Ice Cream

      I figured now is a good time to get this recipe out there before we get to far into spring and summer recipes because there is going to be a lot of banana ice cream filled recipe coming and I figured its a good idea to have the basic banana ice cream recipe ready for people to refer too.  And because I made so much fantastic naner ice cream, I also made a cookies and cream naner ice cream for my sisters and the mister.

Comments that I got from my sisters and the mister when I made them this ice cream

-Sister one."I give this my sister seal of approval.. It's so good.  The first dessert you have made that I liked! (not including all the other desserts that you have made that I liked)"

-Sister two- "Wow.. it looks like ice cream and feels like ice cream and tastes like ice cream.. You should make me this ice cream!" (I was confused too because I was pretty sure I just made her some)

-The mister- "I am so excited for my new fly fishing pole!"

Ok, so the naner ice cream isn't new to the mister and he IS very much excited for his new fly fish pole. So excited that he forgot to tell me how amazing that I am and to thank me for making him a big bowl of yumminess. (It's ok, I forgive him)

And yes, this is probably one of the easiest, most delicious, healthy and amazing frozen dessert that you will ever eat. You will probably find yourself buying mass amounts of bananas and stocking the freezer until things just start falling out. (which is also ok because it's only bananas and you can't have too many frozen bananas)

   The stuff you need for this ice cream…. Nice and ripe bananas, peeled and then frozen* That's it.

To make it, place frozen bananas into food processor and hit the on button. Process the crap out of the namers until nice and silky smooth. 

*Note, the smaller the frozen chunks are , the faster and maybe a little easier for the blender to blend the naners into ice cream. So if you think of it, chop bananas into pieces before freezing or even after.

After all blended and smooth, either eat right away or scoop ice cream into a freezer safe container and stick in freezer. That's the banana ice cream…  And it is amazing and so so so so so addictive. I make a batch, think I am only going to eat a scoop, then find myself eating half of what I have made, but it's ok cause it's only bananas. 

Now for the cookies and cream banana ice cream..One batch of banana ice cream, either freshly made, still in food processor or made ahead and placed in a food processor and given a good pulse to smooth it up.

Add cookies in, crushing a bit beforehand and pulse till combined. Now you have cookies and cream naner ice cream…. and everybody is happy.

Scoop into a cup, a bowl, a freezer safe container, or directly into your mouth. Be careful…. You can still get brain freeze from eating naner ice cream too fast!

Keep it real hump day drum bum!

-C

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Basic Banana Ice Cream

Makes one batch. Good for 3-4 servings

• 4-5  ripe bananas peeled and frozen

Peel  bananas and stick in a freezer bag or container and freeze. When bananas are completely frozen, break into pieces and stick into a food processor or blender and puree until silky smooth. 

Eat right away or scoop into a freezer safe container for later.

Cookies and Cream Banana Ice Cream

• 1 batch banana ice cream
• 5-10 (depending on your cookie need) cream filled cookies like oreos or Trader Joe's Joe Joe's (These are gluten free)

In a food processor, blend banana ice cream with cookies.

Eat right away, with a utensil of choice in a container of choice.

Bowl licking is acceptable. 

From Scratch Oreo Cookies Yea!

 What is better for a bake sale then Oreo cookies?  Oreo cookies made from scratch!.

So when my sister called and asked me to make something for my nephews bake sale to raise money for his basketball team, I couldn't say no. (or I  didn't want to say no cause any good excuse to bake right!) Plus I had just found this awesome recipe on one of my favorite blogs, my name is yeh, for home made Oreos that I have been super excited to try, so it kind of worked out. But before I committed to the Oreo, I wanted to just double check with my nephew and see what he might want me to make because it was his bake sale. 

This is the conversation we had. And yes, it was through text.

Me- "Hey bud, what do you want me to make for your bake sale? Cupcakes, cookies, donuts, or brownies"

Jack- " Yea!"

Me- "Yea what?"

Jack- "Make that."

Me- "Make  what?….Hello!! What do you want me to make? Should I make Oreos?"

Jack- I WANT OREOS!"

Ok.. So it took a little while, but we got there. And after the  the basketball game and the super successful bake sale..

ME-"Did you see the Oreos?"

Jack- "What do you mean?"

Me- "The Oreos I made for the bake sale…the ones you wanted me to make"

Jack- "There was a bake sale? I want Oreos"

Yup, that's the attention span of my 13 year old nephew. Little shit head. But for real, I had so much fun making these cookies and I am definitely going to be making them again. Plus they were a super hit at the sale.

I am the best aunt! (and sister!)

Cookie Time! Whats going on here is brown sugar and butter  have be beaten together until nice and fluffy Then a good big splash of vanilla and another 2 big splashes of coffee are added to that.(I sacrificed my last few sips of my coffee for these cookies)  The dry stuff, flour, salt and cocoa powder, are whisked together, waiting to be added to the wet.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix. I ended up just using my hand and kind of squish mixing everything together until in tuned into a nice lovely uniformed dough.  Form the dough into 2 balls and give each a few kneads to get any air bubbles out. Place dough back into bowl and stick in the fridge to sit for 10-15 minutes( it makes the dough a little easier to work with)

Once the dough has had a little time to rest and cool, remove from fridge, one ball at a time. Place on a lightly cocoa or powdered sugar dusted surface and roll out the dough. Grab any size circle (or other shape) cookie cutter and get to shaping the cookies. Notice the tin can in the bowl? I could't find my biscuit cutters anywhere but the can was the perfect size, and it worked really well. Keep a little bowl of either powered sugar of cocoa to dip the cutter in in between making the cookies. It really helps the dough from sticking and breaking. 

When you have cut out your cookies, use a spatial and place them on a baking sheet. You can try to transfer with you hands, but you end up messing up the shape and most of them will break anyway.

Stick the cookies in the oven for about 15 minutes a batch and continute to roll and cut out the cookies until you have no dough left. 

 While the cookies are getting their cool on, make the cream filling. All you need is a stick of butter, about 4 cups of powdered sugar, some vanilla and a few splashes of heavy cream. Beat that all up until nice and creamy thick and spoon it into a pastry bag (I used a big old ziplock bag) to be piped on the cookies. Filling the cookies is for sure the best part. Separate the cookies into pairs and pipe a big blob of filling onto one of the two cookies. Take the names cookie and place on top, giving it a little smooth to the disperse the cream. Keep doing that until the cookies are all filled.

Stacks of cookies… Sold to the highest bidder! I was told that they sold out within the first half hour at $1.50 a pop….Should have charged $5…. for a good cause right?

And yes, even though he was being a space head and didn't even care that I just  made him like 50 bucks for his team, I still saved the kid one.He just had to give me either a hug or 5 bucks for it.

I got a hug. (I really wanted the 5 dollars)

-C

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From Scratch Oreo Cookies 

Adapted by Molly Yeh from My Name is Yeh!

The cookie (makes about 18 3 inch Oreos)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup or 2 sticks soften butter (use earth balance for vegan)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee

The filling

• 1 stick soft butter (us earth balance for vegan)
• 2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream (use a nut or soy milk for vegan)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cookies- In a large bowl cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and coffee and mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Add dry to wet and mix together unit a uniform dough forms. Dump out onto a lightly cocoa or powdered sugared surface and knead dough a few times. Split ball into two balls, place in bowl, and stick in the fridge for 15 or so minutes.

Preheat oven t0 325 degrees

When dough is chilled, remove one ball at a time, and roll dough out on a cocoa or powdered sugar dusted counter until its about 1/4 inch thick. With a round (any shape would work) cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. In between sits, dip cutter in a sugar and cocoa to keep the cookie from sticking. Transfer cut out cookies onto a baking sheet with a spatula.  Take scraps, roll into a ball, and roll out again. Keep doing that until you can't cut out any more. (You can either bake a weird shape cookie or just eat the dough)

Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until the cookie has risen a bit and the tops have lost their glossiness and look cooked.  Remove from oven and let cookies dry on a wire rack.

Make the filling

Filling- Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla, and cream until completely mixed and is at your optimal consistency. Add a drizzle more cream if you want to thin out or add more sugar for a thicker cream. 

Stick the filling into a piping bag or ziplock bag an snip the end. With cookies in pairs, pipe a big dollop of filling onto one of the two cookies. Place the naked cookie onto the filled cookie and give a smooth to distribute the filling.

lick your fingers and eat a cookie. 

If selling at a bake sale, charge $3 a cookie…. If it's for a good cause. 

Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles

Because it is cold outside. Because I had an hour to kill before I needed to leave the house and because I wanted to make a sweet treat for the mister (who had been dealing with frozen pipes all day) and for the little littles that I was going to hang out with.  My original idea was to just make regular old snickerdoodles, but as  I was riffling around my tea drawer for a mid day tea (it's usually coffee, but I am trying to cut back on drinking one thousand cups a day) I got hit with a little inspiration. Chai tea spiced snickerdoodles. Yes! a nice black chai, full of flavors or cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, allspice, and pepper. So many good time tastes.  And while I am at it, why not add some chocolate to that mix, because, well just because.

Chai, chocolate, and sugar equals….Bada da da….. awesome Cookies! And who doesn't want awesome cookies?

The stuff…Flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice. Cocoa powder, brown and white sugar. Veggie Oil  (you can use butter, or vegan butter instead for a chewier cookie) vanilla, a little vinegar and a nice cup of  chai tea...  Also a little bowl of cinnamon and sugar to doodle the cookies.

    The sugars, oil, tea, vinegar, and vanilla go into a big bowl. Beat for a minute on medium, then add the rest of the stuff and beat some more until fully incorporated…. Simple simple. 

Preheat the oven to 375 and get the cookies all dressed up in a cinnamon sugar suit by taking globs of dough and kind of rolling it into ball (perfection is not necessary) Drop dough balls into the cinnamon sugar and toss around to fully coat. Place on cookie sheet and give a good smoosh to flatten the cookie balls out to about 1/2 inch thick. Now into the oven for about 9-11 minutes to bake. 

Aahhhh…….pulled from the oven and placed on a rack to cool. Fluffy, chewy, pillowy soft and spicy cookies. Oh the smell of so good!Made extra large to make extra little littles happy. The best part? I made each little sing me a song for a second cookie… I am the greatest!

Heres to a Happy Hump Day!

-C

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Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles 

The stuff-

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• Chai teabag steeped in 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cups vegetable oil (can substitute butter or vegan butter for a more chewy cookie)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons each of cinnamon and white sugar to coat cookie balls in

Preheat oven to 375

In a cup, steep tea bag in 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Let tea steep for 10 minutes.

In  Large bowl, add sugars, oil, vanilla, vinegar and steeped tea and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients (besides cinnamon and sugar for coating) and beat on low until everything is fully incorporated. 

 Add the cinnamon and sugar to a small bowl and mix together. Take globs of dough and roughly formed  ball then drop into cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Place coated balls on cooke sheet and smoosh down so cookies are about 1/2 inch thick. Place in oven for about 9-11 minutes or until cookies are just barely cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

My suggestion for sharing….If they want one, make them sing and dance for it!

Oatmeal Fresh Cranberry Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

It hasn't stopped snowing, the temperature is dropping fast (it's getting to the point the dog doesn't even want to be outside) and the mister is busy hand shoveling three long driveways. So I figured that in between all the laundry folding, plant watering , and all around sitting on my butt  that I am doing  INSIDE, that  I would be so super nice and crank the stove up and make my love some cookies.I love making cookies, especially when I have chores to do. I think part of it is that cookies are baked in batches which breaks up the chores and gives a sort of rhythm to things. Plus everything is nice when the house smells like cookies.  I was going to make chocolate chocolate chocolate cookies, but realized that I didn't have cocoa powder, so I went with fresh cranberries (I just scored a pound of organic cranberries for 89 cents!) coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Plus I wanted to make them oatmeal because the mister likes oatmeal and oatmeal makes the cookies a little more hardy. (We need hardy when the temperature dips below zero)The verdict….. chewy, soft, slightly sweet oatmeal, bittersweet chocolate, nutty floral coconut, and the zing and pop of the fresh cranberries. He told me to hide them… hide so he will stop eating them….. because they be amazing!

The base of this cookie….We are using regular old fashion oats and flour.  Salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Vanilla, chia seeds in hot water, coconut oil  white and brown sugar…. You know, all the cookie stuff.  Then all the goodness.. Chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and fresh cranberries. Goodness.Oh yeah, and they are vegan…if that matters to you.Warm the coconut oil and mix with the white and brown sugars. Then add the chia seeds soaked in hot water.  Stir until nice and silky smooth.In goes some more stuff.  I just dumped all the dry right on in that bowl and mixed it up nice and nice.Chopped the fresh cranberries into chunks… One at a time……Just kidding, I actually laid a cutting board on top of the cranberries, applied a little pressure and sliced through the cranberries.. Does that make sense? I hope so, because its is much easier and faster and the cranberries don't all roll away.The chopped cranberries, coconut flakes and the chocolate chips go in to be mix all up. I used my hands to form the balls and gave each mound a little smoosh, but not completely flat.  Then into a preheated 375 degree oven for about 13-15 minutes or until a nice golden brown.A cup of hot coffee and a plate of warm cookies… I am the nicest, right! (After his nice cookie rest I proceeded  to do a little nagging, so the day evened out)So today is probably a great day for everyone to make cookies. It's freezing out,  its saturday and well, just cause. You might even be looking for a great recipe to make for that big party your going to.You should make these cookies. Have a Fantastic Weekend!!!-C

Oatmeal Fresh Cranberry Coconut Chocolate Chip Coookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashion oats
• 1 1/4cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon chia
•  4-6 tablespoons hot water
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cranberries
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 375To start, take the chia seed and soak them in the 4 tablespoon hot water for a few minutes. Then in a large bowl, mix together the white and brown sugar with warmed coconut oil. Add in the gelled chia seeds and vanilla and stir until silky and combined. (the warm chia seeds will help everything mix together nicely) Now mix in all the dry. I start with the oats, dump on flour, toss in the baking powder and soda and salt. Mix until fully combines. If the dough seems to dry, add in another tablespoon or two of hot water. Chop the fresh cranberries into halves or smaller and dump them, the coconut and chocolate chips into the bowl of dough and mix.Using a scoop, spoons, or your hands, make little balls and place on a cookie sheet, giving each ball a little smoosh. Into the oven for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.Remove and cool on rack.Eat a few and hide the rest for later.

White Chocolate Cran-Pistachio Cookies

WHAT! Is it really almost Thanksgiving? Got you dessert plan yet? Thanksgiving doesn't have to be all pies, pies, pies… a cookie can be the perfect ending to any holiday meal. Don't get me wrong, pie is awesome!  I love to make pies, but whenever I show up to Thanksgiving dinner with the family, there are always maybe one or five too many. Yeah my mom thinks we all will eat 2 pies a piece This cookie is the perfect holiday combination. It says, yeah I am classy with my white chocolate chips. Cranberries are a nice seasonal flavor, and those pistachios.. this lady really went all out.  WIth this cookie, you lose the formalities of pie. You don't have to feel the pressure of eating piece after piece of pie.  Eating cookies is a little easier. Grab a cookie and go for a walk. Have a piece of pie and chat for a while. Need  little something.. well maybe another cookie. Watching a family movie after all the clean up and dishes are done? Why yes, a cookie is a no hassle movie snack. Bonus...Left overs are easily stored in tins or plastic baggies and there is no, Hey, where's my freaking pie plate?

For real. People love these cookies but full disclosure: the small littles not as much. Their little mouths don't yet appreciate the cranberries and pistachios as much as some folk. When we taste tested these cookies with the littles, the loved the cookie and they loved the white chocolate chip. A few(not all) picked out the cranberries and the $20 a pound pistachios. Needless to say, a batch of plan chocolate chip cookies always wins with the small people crowd.

If you are on dessert duty this Thanksgiving, I recommend making cookies.

So simple and so elegant. This combonation is the perfect balance of the sweet white chocolate, the tart cranberries, and the crunchy yum of the pistachio.

I don't own a stand mixer… I know, it's really sad, but I do have several littles who have lots of energy and are easily swayed to mix mix mix…Just give them the spoon and tell them they can lick it  clean when they are done….. And so goes the sugar, butter, and vanilla..creamed together by the arms of babes. Makes the cookies taste better.

In goes the dry…These ladies knows how to stir!This guy got lucky. He got to stir in the goodies. I gave him his own bowl of chocolate for his skills. It's important to pay the help.

So there you have it, a lovely cookie to share.

White Chocolate Chip Cran-Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pistachios

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown and white sugar. Once light and fluffy, mix in both eggs and vanilla.

In separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet.   Add in the cranberries, pistachios and white chocolate chips. Mix until combined. refrigerate dough for 10-15 minutes before baking..

Drop dough on non greases cookie sheet. Place sheet on middle rack and cook for 9-12 minutes or until a slight golden brown.

Note: dough can be made up to a week in advanced and refrigerated.

Should make about 3 dozen… It really depends on the size you want.