In the kitchen...

(Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

( Banana Crumb muffins)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE recipes. From tv shows, to magazines, to websites...I love looking at them. I have a whole section in my favorites devoted to cooking/recipe blogs that I love.

The night before last, I learned a good lesson. Never wake a sleeping baby. I moved Mason while sleeping, and he woke up. And didn't go back to sleep for a looong time. I was so tired and not in the mood to clean. So I baked instead! :) Ethan let me know a few times that the cookie jar was empty, and we can't have that!! I wanted to share the recipes for what I made. Just in case anyone else wants to try them!

First things first...I had bananas that needed to be used. The kids and I love banana bread BUT I like mine with walnuts, they don't. I found this recipe for muffins and it is a good compromise...although no nuts! I found it at the site "There's No Place Like Home". I am not sure of the link but I will link it up later if you want. Here is the recipe:

******Banana Crumb Muffins********* (Ethan's favorite muffins!)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter melted

Struesel topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP flour
1/8th tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP butter

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the next 4. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture. Spoon batter into muffin tin. ( I tend to oversimplify directions. If you have a question just ask!)

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut the butter into mixture with a fork. It should resemble a corn meal type texture. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Way yummy!

The next one is a very easy shmeasy recipe from one of my favorites, Paula Deen!

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
1 (8oz) brick cream cheese, at room temp
1 stick butter, at room temp
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 box (18oz)moist chocolate cake mix (any kind)
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg, then vanilla. Beat in the cake mix. Cover bowl and refridgerate dough for 2 hours. Roll firm dough into balls and roll in sugar.
Bake for 12 minutes.

**My new oven doesn't cook things as fast as my others. I had to up the time to 15 minutes. So start with 12 and than go from there.

** I was trying to do more than one pan at a time. One batch I baked on my baking stone from Pampered Chef. The other batch was on a regular cooking sheet. The ones on the stone did not set up right. They tasted fine but were flat and very soft. It was hard to keep them together. The others were perfect. I don't know what happened but I transfered the ones from the stone to the other sheet and baked them a little longer and they turned out fine. Hmmm...

Enjoy!