Streusel-Nut Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (5 med. ripe)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter
1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.)

Streusel-Not Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.)
In a small bowl mix sugar and flour.  Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixtures resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in nuts.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 loaf pans or one 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan, with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar and oil.  Add to dry mixture all at once stirring just until moistened.  Fold in nuts.  Pour into pans.  Sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter.  Bake 55 - 60 minut4es for the 9 x 5 x 3 pan or 40 to 45 minutes for the 2 smaller pans, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing form the pan.


Comments:  I love banana bread but this has to be one of the best recipes I've ever tried.  The Streusel topping gives it an added texture and taste.  It's the perfect solution for using up those over ripe bananas.  I used pecans in mine but I'm sure it's just as good with walnuts.  I also want to give this recipe a try using black walnuts.  I think the combination of the 2 will make for a really delicious bread.  Of course due to the strong flavor of the black walnuts, I'll cut their amount down to about 1/2 what is called for with the walnuts and pecans.

Monkey Muffins

1 box Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Country White
1 container (6.5 oz.) Land of Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread
Sweetened, Condensed Milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix bread mix according to package.  Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon butter to 12 muffin (not mini) tins.  Roll bread mix into walnut size balls.  Place 3 into each muffin tin.  Top with another 1/2 tsp. cinnamon butter.  Allow dough to rise.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Remove from oven and drizzle with plenty of sweetened condensed milk over each muffin.  Allow to sit to absorb milk.  Scoop out with a spoon and serve hot or cold.

Comments:  The original recipe called for leftover bread dough or refrigerated biscuit dough, sugar, butter, cinnamon and sweetened condensed milk.  I had a box of Fleischmann's Country White that I thought would work perfectly for the bread part and a container of Land of Lakes Cinnamon Butter that actually included the other 3 ingredients.  It worked out perfectly and with very little cleanup.  I had a friend come over just as I took them out of the oven and added the condensed milk.  She nor I could wait for the milk to soak in.  We dug in and boy were these delicious.  What few were left over I passed on to a couple of my food testers.  They ate them cold and raved about how good they were. 

Applebutter Muffins

3 1/2 cups plain flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups apple butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
1 cup chopped walnuts
cinnamon sugar (1 tsp. cinnamon, 3 tsp. sugar mixed well)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.  In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well.  Beat in apple butter and vanilla.  Stir lemon juice into the evaporated milk.  Using low speed, alternately add the flour and milk to the apple butter mix until combined.  Fold in nuts.  Line regular size muffin tins with liners.  Fill 2/3 full.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Makes 3 - 3 1/2 dozen muffins.

Comments - I found this recipe on Food.com and made a few changes.  For one, I doubled the recipe to give me more muffins.  I also added the nuts and cut down the amount of sugar, which could actually be cut down another 1/4 cup.  I used walnuts but pecans would work just as well.  You can also add raisins for an added texture and taste.  And if you don't have apple butter, use cinnamon flavored applesauce.