cinnamon roll cake.

first, i can't take credit for the recipe. 

i found it at rumbly in my tumbly thanks to ashley.

second, any recipe that calls for THREE sticks of butter is bound to be good.
can i get an amen, paula deen??
{i know, i know, she's got diabetes now.}

third, you will promise not to hold me responsible when...

a) you eat your first piece - covered in glaze - warm & fresh from the oven,

b) you eat your second piece minutes later, and

c) you wake up the next morning to find that the cake is gone.

 it's THAT good, y'all.

guest post: mississippi mud cookies

hey y'all. i am super duper excited to have my bloggy friend, kimmie, guest posting today. she's my baking guru & hero. seriously, have you seen her blog? go now after you read this yummy post. kimmie {along with her trusty sidekick, gabby} create all kinds of delectable goodies in the kitchen. but, kimmie's favorite thing to do? bake. and, after seeing the pictures in this post, you'll want to bake, too. promise.

---

First of all, I am so excited to be hanging out with the amazing readers that call Stuttering Shell their friend today! I can't even tell you how long I've been stalking Shell's space on the web, but I do know that this was one of the very first blogs I added to my 'blog roll' back in the day. Besides, anyone who can also rock the short hair is a true winner in my book of awesome.

I have come across a cookie recipe of epic proportions. I'll let the following text conversation do the talking for how good these cookies really are and then I promise to share the recipe.

You read that correctly. These cookies had to be hidden from my best friend's husband in order for them to last more than a day. By the end of that week, Meagan had made a total of three batches of cookies and I just knew I needed the recipe stat. And because I love Shell, and you're guilty of awesome by association, I'm sharing this recipe so that someone else's thighs will suffer too out of the kindness of my heart. ❤

If you ask me, these are the perfect cookies to show someone you love them this Valentine's Day. They also make the perfect dough to drown your singles sorrows in, straight out of the unbaked bowl. And at the end of the day if you strategically place them around the house so that no one else can find them, I won't judge. We've all been there.

Mississippi Mud Cookies

adapted from Southern Living Magazine

makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (don't skimp, Ghirardelli or the likes works best)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (once again, don't skimp)

1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

2. Microwave semisweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in thirty second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and melted chocolate and mix until fully incorporated.

4. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt to mixture and beat until a well blended, dough-like consistency is reached. Fold in the walnuts and milk chocolate chips so that they are evenly distributed.

5. Drop dough by healping teaspoon or 1/2 inch cookie scoop onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

6. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes, push three miniature marshmallows into the top of each cookie and bake for an additional 2-4 minutes until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

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like what you see? then go check out kimmie's blog: full circle foodie. you can also follow kimmie on twitter or via her blog's facebook page. oh, and don't ever forget to check out her weekly feature called scrumptious sundays.

for the holiday cookie swap...

thanks to duncan hines for sponsoring my writing. there's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite duncan hines mix and comstock or wilderness fruit fillings and bake on!  www.duncanhines.com


i'm ashamed to admit this, but i really don't do much holiday entertaining. we love having cookouts in the summer, but once the cooler weather hits and the hustle & bustle of the holidays takes over, well, we seem to be busy doing other things {read: going to parties and other holiday festivities}. but, being busy does not mean that i don't have time to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.

it's no secret: i love to bake. i also love to share my goodies with friends & family. during the holidays, i am always in the kitchen creating something whether it's cupcakes for my children to share with their classmates, cake pops for the hard working teachers in my life or cookies for the annual cookie swap.

and, speaking of cookie swaps...

they seem to happen quite often this time of the year. never mind the fact that you're probably being inundated with goodies at work, school, or home, right?? this friday, i'm attending a cookie swap with a few of my friends and i cannot wait to sink my teeth into some freshly made sweet treats! around the holidays, i bake a lot. sometimes i bake from scratch, but i'm no stranger to taking a shortcut or two. while i prefer not to buy store-bought goodies, i often turn to my grocery store's baking aisle for some help. for the cookie swap this year, i'm very excited to try out a recipe from duncan hines...

{via}

brownie cookie macaroons
{for the recipe, please click here}

brownies plus coconut macaroons...what's not to love?? and, these luscious, rich cookies would look stunning when displayed on a fun holiday plate filled with red & green, don't you think?

in addition to sampling some amazing cookies & other sweets, cookie swaps are also a great way to build up your recipe file and add a few new things into your repertoire. toss in a holiday plate swap, good wine & great friends and you've got yourself a holiday shindig that is sure to please!

what yummy, fun things are you baking this holiday? 

remember to check out duncan hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! i was selected for this sponsorship by the clever girls collective.

let's get poppin'.

cake pops.

they're a hot item. i blame bakerella. {seriously, though, i want to be bakerella.}

and, i suppose we can all channel our inner bakerella. {watch out, i might say bakerella again....bakerella, bakerella, bakerella...}

where was i? oh, yeah...cake pops.

whenever i talk about cake pops {or cake balls, too, for that matter} i'm always asked, "how do you make them?" there are a gazillion & one tutorials for cake pops on the internet, but i'll share with you my version. it's not fancy. it's actually kind of easy. but, i'll warn you now, it does take some practice. i'm definitely not at the level that bakerella is, but i can certainly scoop, roll & dip pretty darn well if i do say so myself.

• first of all, decide on a flavor of cake & frosting. you could do this with scratch made everything, but let's be real here: store bought mix & frosting works well - very well - for cake pops. {it's all about the k.i.s.s. principle.}
  
• bake the cake per the directions on the box. once the cake is baked, let it cool. {you can bake the cake the night before you make the pops if that is easier.}

 {why, yes, i jacked up the top of my cake. thanks for noticing!}

• crumble the cooled cake into a bowl. you can do this by hand, but i prefer using a fork {or two}. if you do this by hand, make sure you take off any rings because your hands will get messy. oh, and be prepared to wash your hands...a lot.

• once you have the cake completely crumbled, add the frosting. how much to add is up to you. i personally think that using a whole can of frosting is way too much, so i use no more than half of a can. just eyeball it and gauge how much frosting to use by how "gooey" you want your cake mix to be. {there was a "moist balls" joke in there, but i refrained.}
  
• mix the crumbled cake & frosting mixture well.

• now comes the fun part: scooping & shaping the cake balls! i own this pastry scoop & i love it. if you don't have a scoop, no worries! just make balls about 1" to 1.5" in diameter. you could go bigger, you could go smaller. just remember, you want it to be bite size {cake pops are usually eaten in about two bites}.
  
• as i roll out the cake balls, i like to set them on a baking sheet.

• if you were making cake balls, you would begin dipping them at this point. but, since we're making cake pops, there are a couple of extra steps to take...
  
• in a small bowl, i melt a little bit of chocolate. this will help me get the lollipop stick to stay in the cake ball. simply dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate & then insert into the cake ball.

• once i get each stick inserted into a cake ball, i place my tray of "naked" cake pops into the freezer to chill for a bit. you don't want to leave them in there for too long because bad things can happen to frozen cake pops when you dip them {the coating will crack & the cake will "ooze" out of the crack}.

 {the cake pops look dark because i used the flash...sorry!}

• as the "naked" cake pops are chilling, i like to make preparations for dipping. when i first started making cake balls & cake pops, i would only use almond bark for dipping. now, i use candy melts. it's so much easier to melt the candy in the microwave than it is to set up a double boiler and melt the almond bark on the stove. but, it's your preference.
  
• keep in mind that the candy can get funky it spends too much time in the microwave.
  
• also, i like to thin my melted candy with a little bit of veggie oil {or you could use crisco}. this also makes it glossy.

• dipping is fun, but can be very frustrating. trust me. i've effed up plenty of cake balls & cake pops in the couple of years that i've been making them. word of advice: be patient.
  
• i like to keep my dipping bowl on an angle, so i fold up the end of a pot holder. that seems to work well & allows me a nice pool of melted candy to dip the cake pops. as i dip a cake pop, i make sure that i get all the way around the cake pop {twist the pop as you dip}. you also want to make sure you get the bottom completely covered as well.
  
• another good step is to get off any excess melted candy either by lightly swirling the cake pop over the bowl or gently tapping the cake pop on the side of the bowl or on your finger.

 {..."when i dip, you dip, we dip..."}

• if you're not going to use any sprinkles to decorate your cake pop, place it immediately into a foam block to set up. i found my foam blocks {floral foam, y'all} at the dollar store.
  
• if you are going to embellish with sprinkles or other fun stuff, do it now while the candy is still wet.
  
• if you want to really go crazy, you could always melt another candy melt color & use a small squeeze bottle to make squiggles & other designs.
  
• bottom line: have that foam block ready for dipped cake pops that need drying time. 

• don't get frustrated if you see small cracks. that ish happens. besides, it's going to be eaten.
  
• once your cake pops are finished, you can display them any way you wish. although it's a pain, i prefer to use small bags over each pop tied with a coordinating ribbon. it beats the heck of out trying to display them {which i haven't mastered the art of just yet}.

so there you have it. my version of how to make cake pops. it seems long & complicated, but the more you make them, the easier they become.

oh, and just so you know, a box of cake mix typically makes about 48 cake balls or cake pops {it depends on how big or small you make them}. for this tutorial, i only made twelve cake pops. because i made a small cake for the pops, i used the rest of the batter to make cupcakes...

any questions? just ask!

and, here are a few pictures of other cake pops i've made in the past...

pillows of pumpkiny love.

or, how to undo your workout/diet in 10 easy steps.

really, y'all, if you like pumpkin, chocolate & easy-peasy baking all rolled into one, then this recipe is for you. i can't take credit for it. i owe my undying love for these pumpkin puff balls to the shabby princess. it's all her fault.

seriously, though. this is the perfect bite of comfort, especially once the weather gets a bit cooler, you need a quick snack or you're just feeling sorry for yourself & are craving something loaded with carbs & chocolate {totally my reason for baking them today}.

that's all you need. three ingredients: a box of spice cake mix, a can {15 ounces} of pumpkin - NOT the pie filling - and some chocolate chips. before you start, just preheat your oven to 350 degrees {i have a gas oven & this temperature seems to work best for me}.

combine your ingredients into a bowl. i don't measure the chocolate chips...i just dump. and, if you can't tell from the picture, i used a combination of milk chocolate morsels & semi-sweet morsels. some of the milk chocolate morsels melted so they clumped together...bonus! {for what it's worth, i prefer semi-sweet over milk chocolate any day.}

mix, mix, mix. stir, stir, stir. the pumpkin filling will work its magic with the cake mix. you don't need oil, butter, eggs, applesauce, sour cream, mayonnaise or anything thing else that you might put into a cake. really, you don't.

drop them onto ungreased baking sheets. you can use a tablespoon, but i use a cookie scoop. also, i don't flatten them. i leave them mounded. and, i apologize now for my dirty oven.

bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. your oven might require you to bake these little gems a bit longer. once baked, transfer them to a cooling rack. but, don't wait for them to cool. they are so damn good enjoyed warm & fresh from the oven.

seriously, they are gooey, moist & soft. oh, and don't be surprised if they disappear quickly. you really can't just east one.

the flourless, six ingredient cookie.

first of all, i would like to preface this post by saying something that anyone & everyone who tweets already knows -- twitter is probably the worst enabler in all of social media. if you don't tweet, you should. but, don't blame me for your shopping purchases or your expanding waistline.

case in point? these cookies.

i was tweeting yesterday, minding my business {ha ha ha!} when i saw that a sweet twitter friend & blogging pal had posted a recipe for chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. even better when she said the cookies were made with only five ingredients. say what?! {technically, the cookie has six ingredients, but whatever...}

you know me, i had to check out the recipe. i'm so glad i did. i'm also very thankful that i had all of the ingredients {well, sort of}.

y'all, this cookie is flour-free, oil-free & butter-free. does it taste good? hell yea it does! was it easy to make? yes. even though i didn't have exactly what the recipe called for, i guarantee you probably have all of the ingredients sitting in your fridge & pantry right now.

here's the recipe {from epicurious}:
flourless peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies
1 cup super chunky peanut butter*
1 cup golden brown sugar, packed**
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. mix first five ingredients in a medium bowl. mix in chocolate chips. using moistened hands***, form generous one tablespoon of dough for each cookie into a ball. arrange on two ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies two inches apart. bake cookies until puffed, golden brown on bottom & still soft to the touch in the center -- about 12 minutes. cool on baking sheets for about five minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

now go...make these gluten-free cookies! your taste buds will thank you for them!

*i used creamy peanut butter.  if you have a peanut allergy, i'm going to assume that you could sub the peanut butter for "soy nut" butter or sunflower seed butter. let me know how it turns out!
**all i had was light brown sugar. it worked.
***i used a pampered chef cookie scoop that was, i think, bigger than a tablespoon. it made for some nice sized cookies. yum!

lovin' my loaves.

my first attempt at baking bread - on saturday night - was a big failure.  i'm pretty sure i killed the yeast because the buttermilk i was using was too hot {totally my fault because i forgot i had it one the stove...d'oh!}.

i tried again on sunday afternoon.  this time, i used a different recipe.  and, this time, the outcome was totally different.  and, if my bread baking experiences continue to go this well, then we plan on never buying another loaf of bread from the store ever again. 

{the dough...after rising for an hour...success!}

{yeah, none of my loaf pans match}

voila...three loaves of honey wheat bread.  three.  the house smelled wonderful as the bread was baking.  i was just thrilled that the dough was cooperated & rose not just once, but twice as the recipe stated.  i was also thrilled that i did this.  by myself.  without the help of a bread maker {although i am inheriting my father's old bread maker and i cannot wait to use it}. 

want to make some honey wheat?  here's the recipe...

simple whole wheat bread from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 1/3 cup honey 5 cups bread flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted 1/3 cup honey 1 tablespoon salt 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2.	Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3.	Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

a serving of veggies.

i've told y'all about pat before.

i don't know who pat is, but i love pat. i love pat for sharing her {or could pat be a dude, i don't know} award winning carrot cake recipe on all recipes.

i used this recipe twice in the past week - once for a bake sale at work benefiting relay for life & once {for work} just because. i didn't bake a cake, however. instead, i made cupcakes* and not a 10" bundt cake** as the recipe calls.

behold, the beautiful crackberry photo {because i still haven't fixed my camera yet}:


for the carrot cake recipe, click here {i'm too hopped up on allergy meds lazy to type it out for you}. i did add some nutmeg & pumpkin pie spice to the recipe...just a dash of each.

as for the cream cheese frosting, yea, that is homemade, too. i used this recipe {again, from all recipes} and it hasn't failed me yet. my only advice is to whip, whip, whip the cream cheese first & then add the butter in small chunks. whipping the mess out of it makes a lighter, more enjoyable frosting in my opinion.

y'all this is a good carrot cake/cream cheese frosting combo. every time i've baked this cake, i've heard nothing but wonderful things. people love it. even people who don't like pecans or coconut {yes, both are in the cake} like this cake.

bake it. you know you wanna.

*the batter makes approximately 36 'regular' cupcakes or 24 'regular' cupcakes and 24 'mini' cupcakes.
** if you don't want to make a bundt cake or don't have a bundt pan, this batter makes a lovely two-layer 9" round cake.

chocolate + sheet cake = ♥

i'm hanging my head in shame because i've held out on y'all. i can't believe i'm just now sharing this with you.

sometime after thanksgiving, but before christmas i baked this little gem:

you know, ree drummond's the pioneer woman's chocolate cake. not just any cake, but the best chocolate sheet cake. ever.

sorry about my fancy, schmancy cookbook set up...this was before i gifted myself with a cookbook stand. but, a sugar pourer & a magnetic clip did the trick, right?

it was good...and easy to make. while i still prefer black magic cake as my 'go to' chocolate cake recipe {it's darker & more mysterious...it also has coffee in it}, i thoroughly enjoyed the pioneer woman's cake. it was moist. it was chocolate-y. it had nuts in the frosting for God's sake {although you could omit them if you didn't like nuts}!

you can find the recipe by clicking here.

i had all of the recipe ingredients in my fridge & pantry. i even made my own buttermilk so i wouldn't have to go to the grocery store & schelp out a few dollars for something that i would only use to bake one cake. pretty cool, huh?

i definitely recommend that you try this cake. if you're already a fan of the pioneer woman & her cooking {as i am!} then you won't be disappointed with this cake. promise.

forget gumdrops & sugarplums...

i've got cookies, cake balls & marshmallows!

i went on a little baking binge last weekend. it was nuts.

i baked a batch of coconut macaroons:

{the photo is crackberry-licious}

the macaroon recipe is courtesy of ina garten {you know, the barefoot contessa} from the food network & you can easily follow along to the recipe by clicking here. it is, by far, the easiest cookie {?} recipe ever...the hardest part is whipping the egg whites & even that's not too difficult! try them because if you cuckoo about coconut {like we are} then you'll love these!

i also made snowballs, er, mexican wedding cookies again. this time, i added an almond hershey's kiss to the center of each cookie for some added oomph. you can find the recipe for the mexican wedding cookies here.

and, i made chocolate chip cookies done the nestle toll house way. yes, i took the recipe straight from the back of the bag of chocolate chips. they were crispy & perfect. i omitted the nuts because i was out. i plan on making more tonight...this time adding pecans and using both semi-sweet & white chocolate chips. mmm! click here for the nestle toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe.

yeah, that first picture is sideways. just tilt your head to the right. i'm too lazy to edit the photo so you'll just have to make do with my crackberry pics.

okay, so onto the next portion of my baking binge...homemade marshmallows. i have been wanting to try making marshmallows for a while & i finally did last friday. they were so easy to make & they taste so. much. better. than the store-bought kind. trust me. we loved them so much i made a second batch last night. i have yet to attempt to flavor them {i'd like peppermint flavored marshmallows} but i will try that soon. promise.

i used alton brown's {♥ ♥ ♥} marshmallow recipe & you can get it by clicking here. like i said, it was super easy. i didn't use a candy thermometer {because something bad happened to it on thanksgiving...i mean, really, why are you going to use a candy thermometer to gauge the oil temperature in a turkey fryer. silly boys.}. i timed things by the recipe & it was perfect. some advice, though...don't smell the marshmallows while they are in the mixer 'fluffing.' it is stinky. like "i can't believe i'm actually going to eat that" stinky. once you add the vanilla and spread it in the pan, it will smell fine. trust. it's still...good eats.

remember, don't sniff while fluffing!

it's going to be hard, but it's best to let them sit overnight

hmm...somebody was up past his bedtime, but i suppose it was alright because it was a friday and momma was making homemade marshmallows. how could you pass up licking the mixer's whisk?

all you need to add is cocoa! be sure to use some restraint...it's way too easy to pop one {or five} of these bad boys into your mouth. i took a few of them & dipped them into melted chocolate almond bark & holiday colored nonpariels. delicious.

cake balls. oh, yes...cake balls. earlier this week i made two batches. i'll be making cake balls again today. i am a sucker. i know.

cake balls are super easy, but really time consuming {and, kind of frustrating sometimes}. for some really great cake ball & cake pop ideas, please visit bakerella. she's fabulous. also, my friend, lis, is just plain awesome at making these and she's got a great tutorial on her blog...here.

here is the rundown on making cake balls:

• bake boxed cake as directed. let cool.
• crumble cooled cake in a large bowl & add up to one jar of frosting.
• mix well until you get a 'doughy' consistency.
• form into balls & place on parchment or waxed paper lined cookie sheet.
• freeze cake balls for up to an hour.
• melt whichever candies you prefer {i prefer using almond bark} using whichever melting method you prefer {i use the double boiler method}.
• dip cake balls.
• decorate.
• gobble them up.

below are the cake balls i made for malia's third grade class holiday party:

we gave out ten teacher gifts this year & each teacher recieved an ornament, four cake balls & four marshmallows:

and this...this, my friends, is the platter of misfit cake balls. i had every intention of making santa hat cake balls like i saw on bakerella's site. yeah, that didn't turn out so well. i resorted to making balls...so. much. easier.


whatever holiday treats you make for santa, i hope you have fun in the kitchen! be sure to share the recipe, too...i'm always on the lookout for a yummy new treat to make!

happy holidays, y'all...and remember to brush & floss your teeth really good after eating all of these sweets!

snowballs of fun.

it doesn't snow here. not much, at least. when it does, an inch will shut the city down. seriously. sometimes, it doesn't even take an inch.

since it doesn't snow {much} here & considering that i now have all the time in the world to bake, i made these little gems last week. they're called mexican wedding cookies, but i call them snowballs of fun.

i paired my cookies with some coffee flavored with coffeemate's peppermint mocha creamer & you, too, can serve your holiday cookies on a personalized polka dot plate by ordering one from molly lou gifts.

---

mexican wedding cookies
{from martha stewart's baking handbook}

ingredients:
1 cup {3-3/4 ounces} pecan halves
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks {1 cup} unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

the method:
preheat the oven to 350* f, with racks in the upper & lower thirds. line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. in a food processor, combine pecans with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar; pulse until nuts are finely ground. in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar-nut mixture, flour, and salt; set aside.

in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter & 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar on medium speed until light & fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until the dough just comes together.

roll dough into 3/4-inch balls; place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are pale on top & lightly browned on the bottom (lift with a spatula to check), 10 to 12 minutes. transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

place remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl, and roll cookies in it to coat completely. cookies can be kept in an airtight container, layered between sheets of waxed or parchment paper, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

---

the cookies were a hit. the kids loved them. adam loved them. of course, i loved them. next time i make them {which will more than likely be this weekend} i am going to put a hershey's kiss in the center for some added oomph.

Just call me Betty Crocker...

I've been doing a lot of baking lately.

I baked a carrot cake a couple week's ago.

Then, over the weekend, I baked this:

{I won the cake plate that you see from
Fancy Schmancy Designs a while back}

And, I also baked this {twice...a double batch on Saturday & a single batch just. last. night.}:

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread & Peanut Butter Cup Brownies...it's been baked goods heaven here in the Chissler household.

I found the recipe for the bread at All Recipes. I needed to use up some very ripe bananas {since I kinda-sorta fell off the green monster bandwagon}. The recipe calls for a cup of shortening, but I subbed with a cup of butter. Oh, and, yes, the recipe calls for some mayo, too. Sounds gross, but you can't taste it. Click here for the recipe - it makes two loaves.

As for the brownies, I have to say "thank you" to Katherine at Just Lovely because she posted a picture of them. She found the recipe here. The hubs took a tray of them to his fantasy football draft on Saturday & they were a hit. The kids l♥ve them, too. OK, I won't lie...I'm quite fond of them, too. I used a store bought brownie mix...the recipe couldn't be any more simple!!

Are you salivating yet?