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Outrageous Banana Cupcakes

Luscious peanut butter filling hides inside my moist banana cupcakes that are crowned with a fluffy buttery-tasting chocolate frosting. This winning flavor combination is supreme!

Banana Cupcakes:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ripe bananas

4 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

½ cup cream cheese, softened



Directions:
Preheat to 350. Grease cupcake tins with non-stick flour spray.

Combine flour, baking powder & baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk or sift.

In a different bowl, mix banana, vanilla and sour cream, or do this in a food processor like I did to make it go a lot faster, and come out a lot smoother.

In an electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter together until blended.

Add cream cream cheese, and blend.

Add dry mixture to this alternately with the wet mixture in 3 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Divide among 18 cupcake tins.

Bake approximately 17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs on it.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, and then remove cakes from pans and place on racks to cool completely. Once cooled, cut a cone out of the top of the cupcakes and reserve the cone.





Peanut Butter Filling for Cupcakes:

2/3 C peanut butter (I used the crunchy style to snazzy it up a little)

2 Tablespoon butter, softened

7 tablespoons of confectioners sugar

Directions:
Beat peanut butter and butter together until creamy (Tip: I did it a quicker way and microwaved the peanut butter on 30% power for 30 seconds first to make it a little softer to blend easier)

Sift confectioners’ sugar into the bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Spoon the filling into the hole created in the top of the cupcake. Then, trim the bottom pointy portion of the cone a bit to make it easier to fit back on top. Place the trimmed cone back on top and gently press down


Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

6 ounces semisweet chocolate (if you only have unsweetened, you can substitute 6 oz unsweetened + 6 tablespoon sugar)

1 1/4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

2 sticks butter (1 cup), softened

2 Tsp heavy cream

1 Tsp vanilla


Dirctions:
In top of double boiler, melt the chocolate until it’s totally smooth, or use your microwave if you know how to safely do that with yours. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the rest (approx 5 – 10 min).

In medium sized bowl, beat butter for 3 minutes, until very, very creamy.

Add the milk and beat until smooth.

Add the cooled melted chocolate and beat well. Add vanilla and beat for 3 more minutes.

Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and beat on high until it gets nice and fluffy. Pipe onto your filled cupcakes and for a pretty garnish; decorate with white chocolate curls, and/or chocolate sprinkles, and/or mini marshmallows.

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Coco-Peanut Butter Surprises

These cookies are reminiscent of a chocolate peanut butter cup candy. And I’ll guarantee that these cookies will disappear in a snap, whatever the audience: from hungry kids after school to your co-workers—these cookies will be a hit!

Prep time: 45 minutes |Cook time: 9 minutes |Total time: 54 minutes |Servings: 26

•1/2 cup(s) of confectioners
•3/4 cup(s) of Balance® Natural Peanut Butter (Divided into 1/2 & 1/4 cup)
•1 cup(s) of unbleached all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup(s) of 100% whole wheat flour
•1/2 cup(s) of (unsweetened) dark cocoa powder
•1/2 tsp. of baking soda
•1/4 tsp. of salt
•1/2 cup(s) of cane or raw sugar (turbinado) (plus extra for dredging)
•1/2 cup(s) of brown sugar (sucanat works too)
•1/2 cup(s) of (1 stick) Earth Balance Buttery Stick, softened
•1 tsp. of vanilla extract
•3 tbsp. of Earth Balance™ Soymilk

Steps
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2.To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the ½ cup peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.
3.To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, buttery stick, and the
4.To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with our finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; Roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Roll each rounded cookie in sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.

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I am privileged to know Shannon personally! She is a multi-talented and very wonderful lady. Just one look around her website will show you some of the talent she has. However, she is also a great cook and home chef and was just chosen to have her recipe she entered into a Philadelphia Cooking Creme (New product soon coming to your grocer) showcased on the Real Women Of Philadelphia Website for everyone to see her recipe being made by her.

She has recently launched this wonderful and indulgent Valentine’s giveaway that you need to sign up for!
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"Quick and Awesome Chicken"

Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless breast halves
1 C. brown sugar
1 pt. (2 Cups) cream
1 C. white Port wine
1 C. apple puree
Apple slices
Sliced toasted almonds

Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper (I like a little celery salt, curry and nutmeg, too) Set to color gently in butter. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 min. slowly. When cooked remove and place on a serving dish to keep warm. Add the sugar and port to the cooking pan and reduce by half. Add the cream and apple puree and reduce by half again. Decorate the chicken with quarters of peeled
apple which have been brushed with butter and glazed under the grill. Then strain the sauce over and sprinkle with the sliced roasted almonds.
If you like your chicken very well done and more flavorful, bake it very low in some of the sauce without the cream. I remove the chicken to warmed plates, add the cream to heat through and finish as above.
I usually serve this with potatoes mashed with cream cheese or sour cream and seasoned with garlic and chives.
We also like grated carrots cooked gently in chicken broth, parsley and some grated onion served with butter, salt and pepper with this.

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iPad Giveaway!!!!

"I asked my hubby for an iPad for Christmas and he said that it was too costly right now and so this is the perfect chance for me to get my the gift I wanted anyways! I would love to be your winner Mandy! Congrats to you on 3 years of blogging! You've came a long way BABY!!!
Congrats Mandy and thanks for this awesome Giveaway!"