chocolate chip banana bread with walnuts

i can't help myself, i love this recipe. it's from america's test kitchen, ultimately fool-proof, and comes out perfect every time. and who doesn't love warm, moist banana bread fresh from the oven? i can literally eat an entire loaf to myself (and not ashamed to say that it's happened on occasion - i have no self control).
do yourself a favor and make this bread. soon.

ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
10 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts; chopped
1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1/3 cup plain whole yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions
1. adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. grease all sides of a 9-5-3 inch loaf pan; set aside. mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl, add nuts and chocolate, set aside.
2. mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in a medium bowl. lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick & chunky. scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

serve warm with a little bit of butter, and enjoy :)

white chocolate macadamia cookies. divine.

hands down one of the most fabulous cookies i've made in a very long time.


ingredients
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top of cookies

directions
1. adjust an oven rack to lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. in a large bowl, beat the melted butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.
3. reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined. mix in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts until incorporated.

4. working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into even balls and lay them on the baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. sprinkle tops with raw sugar.
5. bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 16 minutes. let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

once I got down to the bottom of the bowl, there was barely any dough left, so my last batch was practically all white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. the more, the better.

dried cherry & pecan banana bread. carbolicious.

damn you, carbs. it's impossible to eat only one slice of this bread. so moist, not too dense, and full of tart cherries and crunchy nuts.

ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
10 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped toasted pecans; chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1/3 cup plain whole yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions
1. adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. grease all sides of a 9-5-3 inch loaf pan; set aside. combine first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.

2. mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in a medium bowl. lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. add pecans and dried cherries and mix until batter looks thick & chunky. scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. serve warm with butter.