spinning my pinwheels

This is a recipe I have been eying for a good chunk of my life as we combed through recipes in this cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens®.  This book has provided the basis for my dad's awesome biscotti and one of my all-time favorite cookies, Coconut Jumbles.  I remember looking through the book as a kid after my dad told me to pick a favorite and how could I deny a pink-fluffy confection with coconut on top?!  Those have been a cookie plate standard every since.  Thank you Father Fartknocker, tee-hee.  Now that I am happily contributing to the family diabetes plate, I thought it time to attempt these pretty (and also pinkish) pinwheel cookies.  They always looked to be difficult but thankfully it is more in the design and less in the actual work.  I hope to make them again next year but with perhaps a few edits.  These are scrumptious but fragile even with the edition of shortening.  I can't have fragile cookies when they travel through three states and over 350 miles.  The dough also warmed up very quickly after sitting in the fridge well over twenty-four hours and stuck bit during the rolling process so be a little generous with the "lightly flour surface."  Regardless though, I was happy with the outcome and intend to try the fluted edge next year to make them super fanciful. 

Cherry Cheese Pinwheels

from Cookies, Cookies, Cookies and Any-Day Treats
Yield: 36

INGREDIENTS
dough
1/3 C butter, softened
1/3 C shortening
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 egg
2 T milk
1 t vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour

cherry cheese filling
4 oz cream cheese or neufchatel cheese, softened
2 T sugar
1/4-1/2 C chopped dried cherries

DIRECTIONS
dough
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
3. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat in the flour on low speed. Divide dough into fourths. Cover; chill about 3 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

cherry cheese filling
1. Combine cream cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir in dried cherries. Makes about 3/4 cup.

assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll a portion of the dough into a 10x5-inch rectangle. Using a fluted pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut dough into eight 2 1/2-inch squares. Place squares 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
2. Cut 1 inch slits from each corner toward the center of each square. Spoon a level teaspoon of filling onto center of each square. Fold every other tip in corners to center of squares to form a pinwheel; press gently to seal. If desired, sprinkle tops with flaked coconut.
3. Repeat with remaining dough, and filling. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire racks and let cookies cool.

Nutrition: 84 cal, 4g fat, 52mg sod, 11g carb, 6g sugar, 1g fiber, 1g protein

gobble this up

Happy Turkey Day! We began today, the day after "Hors D'oeuvre Day" with this Pumpkin Pear Strudel recipe from Libby's®. This was awesomely easy to make and I had it sitting in my freezer for the past month (unbaked) so I could whip it out at my parentals' without having to slave away in the kitchen and miss fam time. I am so thankful for an amazing first year of marriage, a healthy and recovering Aunt Potty and a forever wondrous family who is always there for me. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and please go savor some pie. In addition to the five pies I mentioned before, we are having a cheddar apple torte courtesy of my brilliantly talented cousin Em and a chocolate mayonnaise cake from Aunt Potty. Cure the turkey lethargy with a slice of sugar high.

pairing autumn with peanut butter

Peanut butter and its bff's chocolate and banana have been executed often in this house. This is mostly because many of my loves have a soft spot for peanut butter. Actually, obsession is probably a better way to describe it.   I am always trying to think of combos with peanut butter to meet their standards while simultaneously feeding my need to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen.  I was wracking my brain for a twist on PB while using what I had stored up at home.   The pile of this season's apples and a gallon of maple syrup were calling. I thought the combo of peanut butter and apple slices as a diet mainstay for picky children all the way up through adults on the run could work in a baked good.  Who doesn't enjoy this combo?  Throw in some oats and perhaps this can even be considered a breakfast bite.

Peanut Butter Apple Crumble Bars

adapted from Foodologie, this recipe can also be made vegan with substitutions noted.
Yield: 32 bars

INGREDIENTS
base
1/2 C reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 C maple syrup
1 C flour, whole wheat or all-purpose
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T unsalted butter or coconut oil at room temp.
1/2 t vanilla

apple filling
5 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/3 C flour
1/2 C dark brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 T cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t nutmeg

topping
1/3 C flour
1/3 C oats
1/2 C dark brown sugar
3 T reduced fat peanut butter
2 T unsalted butter or coconut oil

DIRECTIONS
apple filling
1.Combine all ingredients for apples, let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the base and topping.

base
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and peanut butter until uniform in color. Add vanilla and maple syrup.
2. Add in flour, baking soda and salt and beat until a dough forms.
3. Press dough into base of pan and chill in the freezer while making the topping.

topping
1. Melt together butter in a saucepan or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in peanut butter until combined.
2. Add in sugar, flour and oats.

assembly
1. Remove dish from freezer, spread apple filling evenly over peanut butter base.
2. Sprinkle crumble topping over apples.
3. Bake for 30-35 min. Can be served immediately with ice cream or allow to cool and store in an airtight container at room temp. for four days.

Nutrition: 112 cal, 4g fat, 96mg sod, 19g carb, 13g sugar, 2g fiber, 2g protein

on the lighter side

I am a magazine binge/purger. I will save up various issues of fashion, food and fitness magazines until I realize that they are basically recycling the same material with a fancy new package. Then I will obsessively comb through each one to find that "ultra important" article and keep the ones that I truly cannot do without. It all started with my personal adolescent bible of the beloved seventeen magazine that I began hoarding around age 14. It's odd how you basically outgrow that magazine once you officially hit its namesake age. From there I became obsessed with In Style (thank you Grandma Patty) until I realized I could just find the juicy parts on their website. Thanks to Mommy Dearest and Father Fartknocker I receive Yankee (don't mock, it has provided me with amazing history, hiking and food of the area, I may become a New Englander just yet!). Grandma Sue (aforementioned owner of 30+ years of Gourmet) has provided me with Cook's Illustrated, for the ultimate nerdy culinary lover (it's like the Consumer Reports of kitchen gadgetry and experimentation!). Don't get me started on my love of the hand-illustrated tips and techniques (the parental units forking over a ton for a degree revolving around technical illustrating has a purpose, really). To buffer the food magazines, I get a nice dose of Fitness magazine every month to serve as a hotplate for my baked goods. I had a subscription hiatus after graduating college and moving in with Torren's fam for a couple of years but all was not lost- his mother had oodles of magazines arriving every week from LHJ to Women's Health to Parents. Yes, that last one is a gem. You can thank me later because today's recipe is coming from there, mwahahahaha. I cannot wait to make the ferris-wheel cake I found in the same issue. My mind is like a safe when it comes to crazy crap like this!

Now you're probably wondering "why bother with print when it is online?" Well folks, I obviously come from a long line of people who love tactile print for all it's worth. I love everything from the layout to the ability to rip something out and stick it on a wall or in my recipe file. Several of these subscriptions do not offer the same information online that they do in their magazine and/or there are extensions of things on the internets. I usually ogle both the print and the site and from there find links to other glorious reading. Ultimately, though, there is nothing like snail mail. I am overjoyed to receive these little gifted subscriptions every month and remember who bought them for me originally. I just love mail. We covet stationery as much or perhaps more than we do our hard drives. I won't tell you about the boxes of letters and cards I have stashed in my cramped home. Don't call me crazy, in fact, don't call me. Send me something in the mail and I'll treasure it forever.

The below recipe has been adapted to fit a certain person's {cough}torrenchristiandoherty{cough} palate. I also did some tweaking to make it "healthified" and the recipe came out tasting delish. I love the original nectarine version because they are definitely in my top three favorite fruits. It's easy to play around with the fruit in this so please do experiment!

Bluebarb Buckle

adapted from Bluberry Nectarine Buckle from Parents
Yield: 9 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 C biscuit mix I used Biquick Heart Smart to lighten the recipe
1 C sugar, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten 1/4 C liquid egg works fine here
1/2 C fat free milk
1 t finely shredded lemon peel
1 medium nectarine, pitted and chopped it couldn't hurt to add another nectarine, this is where I used 1 C chopped rhubarb as a sub
1-1/4 C fresh blueberries
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C butter I used the light stick butter here

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use non-stick foil or grease the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of a 1-1/2- to 2-quart baking dish (I'm lame and only have a 9 inch x 13 inch and it worked FINE).
1. In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix, 1/2 cup sugar, the egg, milk, and lemon peel. Stir until moistened.
2. Spoon batter into pan. Top with fruit.
3. Mix flour and remaining sugar in a bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; sprinkle over fruit.
4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool for 20-30 min.  Serve warm (probably good with some vanilla bean or blueberry fro-yo, you think?)


Nutrition: (light) 280 cal, 4g fat, 360mg sod, 57g carb,  27g sugar, 2g fiber, 5g protein
(original) 304 cal, 10 g fat, 50 g carb, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

bring the island vaca to you

Keeping with the tropical inspiration of the last post, I am going to grace you with a cake that I have been wanting to make for a while now. {Gasp} it is not slathered in frosting, as you might expect from me. It does not involve various tiers and cutesy decorating, also something you may expect to come from me. This is not chocolate (believe it or not, I am not a huge chocolate fan, I just know several people that are) nor is it marshmallow filled. It is another lovely answer to the ripe banana quandary (or blessing). It's the very adult and flavorful Bahama Mama Banana Rum Cake from my personal bible of Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. Listen, I'm sorry if you're sick of hearing about it but I am dying to tackle many if not most of the recipes in this cookbook and it's layout is just too damn cute for me to pass it up. Of course, you'll probably need a coronary bypass after trying much of what is in there but I'll try to sprinkle some anecdotes about lettuce and stuff, too.

Anyway, this is great if you are hoping to serve many (or few for an extended period). It definitely suits the "adult" palate of those who may not love to smother themselves with frosting (I can't believe you people exist but I will take one for the team) and prefer the ease of having their cake and drinking their drink, too.

Bahama Mama Banana Rum Cake

from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Yield: 24 servings
I am telling you, the book says 10 servings. That's just mad. It would be almost 1,000 calories per serving! Go ahead and eat that much but I warned you about the impending cardiac surgery.

INGREDIENTS
cake
1 1/2 C chopped pecans, toasted other nuts like walnuts would be delish, too
1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 C granulated sugar
1 C firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temp
1 C mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
2 t pure vanilla extract
3 T dark rum (or a t of rum extract)
3 C bleached all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 C sour cream I use low fat or fat free without an issue

dark rum glaze
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 C water
1/2 C firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C quality dark rum

DIRECTIONS
cake
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F Spray a 10-cup tube or bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, then flour, tapping out the excess flour. The pan needs to be well-greased, or the cake will stick to it.  Sprinkle the nuts in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Beat in the mashed bananas, vanilla, and rum (or rum extract).
4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt over the batter and fold in using a rubber spatula, just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the sour cream.
5. Spoon the batter over the nuts in the pan and spread to the edge of the pan using the back of a rubber spatula.
6. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 60 to 80 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

dark rum glaze and cake assembly
1. While the cake is baking combine the butter, water, and sugars in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Immediately reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the cake and pour 1/4 C of the warm glaze over the cake. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes more.
5. Place a serving platter over the pan and invert to release the cake onto the platter. Spoon the remaining glaze over the cake, a little at a time, and let stand until the glaze is completely absorbed into the cake. If the glaze starts to pool at the base of the cake, use a small metal spatula to spread it up and around the sides of the cake. It will look like you have too much glaze, but don’t worry, within a few hours the cake will absorb all of it.
6. Let the cake cool completely before cutting into wedges and serving. This cake will last 2 to 3 days if covered well.

Nutrition: 340cal, 16g fat, 217mg sod, 44g carb, 30g sugar, 0g fiber, 3g protein

tropical weather yields tropical treats

Fruit = healthy, right? Yeah, well, I know dried fruit, let alone sweetened dried fruit, is not ideal but who can resist the pineapple/coconut combo? Summer weather is beginning to blossom up here in New England and I have been wanting to make this recipe since I received this book a couple of years ago. I found it very apropos for the season and I really do try to bake seasonally. I just find it weird to eat this combo in the dead of winter. Of course, if you want to conjure up some far off island while you're trapped under three feet of snow, I can sympathize.

Now, after waxing poetic about the perfect pairing of pineapple and coconut, I will say that the original version of this recipe did not call for coconut at all. Hmmm, why the heck not? Maybe they felt that three recipes with coconut were enough for one book. Elinor, after you wrote a cupcake cookbook where every third recipe had lemon something in it, this is really not overkill. Just in case you wanted my opinion. So I made some adjustments to the recipe which are italicized below. Also, I just couldn't pass up some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts that were on sale but it wasn't until I brought the bag home and discovered that there were only fifteen of the suckers in there that I realized it wasn't the best idea. Maybe macadamia nuts and chocolate chunks will do, I'll let you decide. For now, the cookies look like they have giant eyeballs. Maybe no one would have noticed if I hadn't said that. I just broke a major rule of critique: don't list your major shortcomings. Well, to make up for that, I will say that these are incredibly moist and I plan on making them again with some tweaks. Grab one of these and go swing on a hammock in the shade.

Pineapple and Macadamia Islands

adapted from Big Fat Cookies by Elinor Klivans
Yield: 15 cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (this was originally 1 tsp of baking soda which I felt was not necessary for the chemical reaction needed.  My adaptations yielded a soft, chewy cookie.  If you try the other way, let me know!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted
1 C sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp dark rum I used 1 1/2 T kick the flavor up a bit
3/4 C macadamia nuts, salted or unsalted, coarsely chopped this is where I added the chocolate covered ones
1 C sweetened dried pineapple cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
1/2 C sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 C milk or white chocolate chunks (if not doing the chocolate covered nuts)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or be lazy like me and do one sheet, two rounds of baking).
1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir the melted butter and sugar to blend.
3. Stir egg, vanilla and rum into the mixture until it appears smooth and shiny.
4. Stir in flour mixture until fully incorporated.
5. Add nuts, coconut, pineapple and chocolate if necessary.
6. Scoop 1/4 C mounds of the dough ont baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart.
7. Bake cookies until the edges are slightly golden, about 14 minutes.   Cool slightly before removing from sheet to cool on wire rack completely.

Nutrition: 221cal, 8g fat, 90mg sod, 32g carb, 22g sugar, 1g fiber, 2g protein

red celery to me, tasty treat to others

Growing up I had issues with fruit pie.  Cooked fruit had a weird texture that made my mouth quiver and my stomach churn.  I assume it was my subconscious freaking out by having something healthy show up in a dessert.  What, no fluffy meringue?  No gooey custard?  If it was disguised under a heaping mound of vanilla bean ice cream, I suppose I would slug it down.  Fortunately (or unfortunately for the waistline), my tastebuds' preferences expanded and pie made a nice home in my gut.  Especially the super sweet ones: cherry, berry, peach- yum.

Then certain people made their way into my life and began expounding upon the wonders of the rhubarb plant.  I'll eat it doused in sugar, but I suppose I would eat a napkin if it were as well.   This "red celery" and its terrible tartness befuddled me.  Again I thought of compromise and decided I would stretch myself to slather the rhubarb in its usual strawberry counterpart but my compromise was turned down flat.  The demand was made that no strawberries be added to boost the sweetness of this tart plant.  "Ick, this dessertcannot exist," I thought as I searched for "rhubarb pie."  Well, gee, what hasn't been attempted yet?

Now that rhubarb is inching its way back into the grocery market and the plant in my backyard is reaching for the light, I suppose it is appropriate to post this recipe.  I would say feel free to add the berries but this is actually intriguing as a rhubarb-only pie.  Especially with some vanilla bean on top...

Rhubarb Pie

from Sweet Fine Day
Yield: 8 slices

INGREDIENTS

Pie dough for an 8 to 10-inch two crust pie (I used the Perfect Pie Crust recipe from Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey)
6 C rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 C sugar
4 tsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
1. Roll half of the pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness.  Press into the bottom of an 8 to 10 inch pie pan.
2. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour into the pie.
3. Roll the remaining dough and lay on top. Crimp the edges to seal, and make five small cuts in the top with a small knife.
4. Bake for 1 hour, until the crust is golden. Cool completely before slicing, serve with ice cream if desired.

hollaback: b-a-n-a-n-a-s

 L-A-Z-Y.  That is how I felt when I wanted to make something but didn't want to head to the grocery store and face the lovely people there for a second time today.  I am practically on a first name basis with a guy at Stop and Shop who meekly says "hello" and waves when I come in looking all frazzled after the gym.  I must seem like a nut: work out like mad, schlep over to S&S in my grossness, stock up for the week and inevitably do it all again in a few days because I forgot something or have a need to bake.  For someone who loves fashion as much as I do, I spend a lot of time in sweats, hoodies and the dreaded gym sneaker.

I am going to make a somewhat catty confession.  I have a huge pet peeve about wearing gym sneakers as every day shoes and will only wear them if I am coming directly from the gym.  My best explanation is that I feel gym sneakers are clunky and ugly and do not even look good with a pair of jeans (on both guys and the lady folk).  There are so many beautiful choices out there, why limit yourself to that one sweaty, stinky pair and parade it around town?  Hell, I'll take a freaking rubber flip flop over them.  Thank you for letting me get that out of my system and feel free to tell me you hate brown hair or something.

Back to bananas.  As I stated in the last banana-themed post, why do you always have to make the same loaf with those overripe potassium goldmines?  I still had some overripe ones sitting around and I also had some mayo in the fridge that will never get eaten unless I bake with it because we just don't consume it straight in this household.  In fact, I probably bought it to make the more traditional chocolate mayonnaise cake that my mommy dearest covets so.  So I had two things I wanted to use up I also have to admit that I honestly did not want to have peanut butter as a major player in these but I had a frosting snafu and due to the above mentioned indolence, I did not have confectioner's sugar and was trying to do a thick frosting without it.  So, after some wasted ingredients, money, and time, I came up with these and was pretty happy.  The fact that Torren has eaten three and is supposedly "watching what he eats" is a decent indication that they are edible.

Banana Mayonnaise Cupcakes

Yield: 12 regular sized cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
cupcakes
2 medium-small overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 C brown sugar (I often use dark brown sugar for added moisture and a deeper molasses taste)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg or 1/4 C liquid egg
1/2 C mayonnaise (I used Hellman's Low Fat without an issue)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 C flour
1/4 C peanut butter

frosting
3/4 C brown sugar
2 T cream or half and half
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 T peanut butter

DIRECTIONS
cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin pan with grease or papers.
1. Beat bananas, sugars and eggs until smooth.
2. Add mayo and vanilla until no streaks are visible.
3. Carefully add flour and baking soda,  little at a time until fully incorporated.
4. Evenly distribute batter among cups (about 1/2-2/3 full)
5. Drop a teaspoon of peanut butter onto the center of each batter-filled cupcake liner.
6. Bake for 18-22 min. or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

frosting
1. Combine brown sugar, cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves into liquid.
2. Bring mixture to a boil for about 3 min. (softball stage, 235-240 degrees F)
3. Remove pan from heat and add vanilla.
4. Place pan in a sink or bowl of cool water to bring mixture temperature down and keep stirring.
5. Stir in peanut butter.  If mixture cools too quickly and begins to harden, add a little extra cream.
6. Frost cooled cupcakes

Nutrition: 226 cal, 6g fat, 241mg sod, 43g carb, 12g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein

banana + peanut butter cups = lurve

 It has been a long weekend (I love spending more than eight hours in a chair taking exams!) and a relatively busy week with my new foray into the world of education. I have learned that my fashion sense is equivalent to that of a third grader thanks to myriad compliments I received on my cupcake hat at recess. I have repeatedly been told that because of my sartorial choices I will grow up to be either a crazy cat lady or an art teacher so let's hope for the latter.  Anyway, due to the running around, we ate little or ate out and apparently the groceries suffered. I hate wasting food and enjoy picking an ingredient and forming a recipe around it, hence the bananas.

OK, the subject title may be harsh. I do enjoy banana bread and have a couple of great recipes but let's take those overripe bananas and put them to creative use, shall we? After perusing the internets, I found banana bread pudding (a recipe I have in my fave cookbook that I will try SOMEDAY), Elvis-style with peanut butter and bacon (I already have a future plan for that mixture) and Bananas Foster reincarnated into bar cookies. The Bananas Foster in regular or newfangled form will be attempted, too, but I didn't feel like having the people at the liquor store question my need to buy multiple nips of rum. They always look at me like I have two heads and I should be buying large quantities of alcohol. SORRY, I prefer my rum in baked goods. I apologize for the digression. I decided to go with something portable because I want to get this stuff out there! I tweaked a great banana bread recipe and added Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups. You cannot go wrong with the banana, peanut butter, chocolate combo. I will say that I wanted to use the new dark chocolate cups but I can only find them at Tar-jay (wonderful add-ins in their candy aisle!) and I was trying to be efficient for once and shop in one place.

On to the comfort food!  The lighting isn't so hot but I think you get the gist.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Bites

Yield: 40 bites

INGREDIENTS
1/4 C unsalted butter (melted)
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 small bananas (around 300g)
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 6oz container of vanilla or banana light yogurt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini cupcake pan. Unwrap candies. Combine melted butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Take half of the bananas and mash and add them to the mixture. Slice the other half and set aside. Combine flour and baking soda and add to the mix. Fold in yogurt and sliced bananas. Distribute batter (about a heaping tablespoon per section) evenly into the pan. Push a peanut butter cup firmly into each section, top up. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow bites to cool to room temp. until removal.  *After some testing, I think these are best when eaten frozen or heated up a little.*

Nutrition: 99 cal, 4g fat, 65mg sodium, 16g carb, 11g sugar, 2g protein