Bananas in a brownie...

I love bananas as much as the next guy but with bananas ripening by the minute in our dry and hot apartment, the thought of making another banana bread or breakfast shake just didn't get me going. So when I came across this recipe that used bananas in a "brownie" on meals.com, I jumped right in... Gosh these were delicious!! I wonder if these bars count as an extra serving of a fruit ;)

Banana Mini Morsel Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium mashed ripe bananas
1 large egg
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
Powdered sugar

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan.

COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in bananas and egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture; stir in morsels. Spread into prepared jelly-roll pan.

BAKE for 20 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

My tips: The variations made to the original recipe above included using butterscotch chips instead of the mini morsels (I really enjoy that combination) and eliminating the powdered sugar altogether. Next time, I will line my baking sheet with parchment paper to add an extra element of protection from the bottom of the bars burning.

Enjoy!

Our Canada Day Picnic (...cont'd)

This recipe was passed to me by hubby's cousin Leslie and what a hit it was... It was also my first time at making any type of yummy square. So glad I tried it... Next time after baking and cooling, I'll put it in the fridge for about an hour before serving to settle the caramel into a more firmer consistency.

Chocolate Caramel Nut Bars

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels
¼ cup caramel chip morsels
1 bag (340 g) caramels (about 43 caramels), unwrapped
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 15x10x3/4-inch baking pan with foil. with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; beat on low speed until mixture is well blended and crumbly. Press dough firmly into prepared pan.

BAKE 15 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate and caramel morsels ; cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Spread evenly over crust.

MICROWAVE caramels and cream in microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM 4 minutes or until caramels begin to melt. Stir until caramels are completely melted. Spread evenly over chocolate layer; sprinkle with walnuts. Cool on pan on wire rack. Remove dessert from pan, using foil handles. Cut into bars.

Makes 2 dozen squares.

Enjoy!