Peanut Butter Cup Banana Cake

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Cake

Does the world need more dessert with peanut butter cups? Duh.

I’ve been on a banana kick this summer, and it’s probably just me making up for lost time. I barely posted any banana recipes in the first two years of the blog, so this summer it’s just bananas all the time. Plus, I don’t like to keep them on the counter in the summer. The bugs, they will come.

Plus, this feels like the right time to write about this cake. There’s a slice of it on my desk in my new office, and I’m looking out at the tree by my window and contemplating happy thoughts. Why not add a moist banana cake filled with both peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips to the mix? A gluten-free one, might I add?

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Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies (GF)

Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies (GF)

Do you ever buy new items at the grocery store without a clear idea of what you’ll do with them? It’s just that, you know, you’ll need them later?

Because I do that all the time. Several months ago, I saw a gluten-free version of Pillsbury’s funfetti cake mix on the shelves, and I knew I had to buy it. After all, Kenny is a funfetti addict, but he also eats a primarily GF diet. My original plan was to go home, bake him the cake and be done with it.

But you know, I’m a baking blogger. What does that mean? I have fun with mixes! So instead of just baking the cake, I let the mix alone for a while to brainstorm ideas. Finally, these cookies came to light. And they’re great!

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Double Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Double Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

It’s 100 degrees out and we’re trapped in the house. Who wants to turn the oven on?

Well, I do. I know, I know. No-bake treats are all the rage this time of year, but heck, I like to bake. A baker’s gonna bake. That’s how it goes. That’s why somebody smart invented air conditioning.

Every weekend, I find myself staring at tired bananas. They call to me, and sometimes I ignore them. That’s usually when I’m just as tired as they are. But sometimes I cut them up and freeze them for smoothies that I never really make, and that’s an effort right there. But if I’m feeling really energetic and serious, I’ll bake them into something. And this double chocolate chunk banana bread is probably one of the best ways ever to use those bananas!

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Rocky Road Fudge

Rocky Road Fudge

Summer is fudge season! Didn’t you know?

Well, you might not realize that if you don’t live near an east coast beach town. For those of us who are in the know about boardwalk treats, we get the joy of candy shops with thick slabs of fudge for sale everywhere. It can’t be beat!

I’m not due to hit the beach for another month or so, and I could just throw up my hands in despair and decide to wait. Or I could make this rocky road fudge, which takes about five minutes to put together and tastes oh so beachy!

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Hidden Treasure Banana Snack Cake

Hidden Treasure Banana Snack Cake

It’s been a week of adjustment as I move from one school building to another and take on my new job responsibilities. I’ll be adjusting for quite a while, but there are some constants in my life that keep me grounded.

My family, of course. My kids are still at that age when they want me around all the time, so I’ve been peeling them off me as I head to the car to go to work. It’s a nice feeling, being wanted. I know they won’t always feel that way, so I’m enjoying that. And Kenny is my rock, the one who listens to me talk endlessly when I’m decompressing after a long day.

But let’s not forget you all! JAB is one of my constants as well, and I love the rhythm of baking for the blog. Nothing is quite so relaxing as mixing things together. This week, I decided that the tired bananas on my counter needed a little more than just the usual treatment, so I got sneaky and put a cheesecake filling into the center. Hello, beautiful!

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Peanut Butter Fudge Pops

Peanut Butter Fudge Pops

It’s getting hot out there! My skorts are getting a lot of play.

Yes, I said “skort.” Before you assume that I’m dressing like a 2 year-old, they do make cool skorts nowadays that look like miniskirts but that have shorts under. It’s more ladylike not to flash people.

When it’s hot outside, I like to sit on my front step drenched in sunscreen and mosquito repellent. I’ll bring out a book, a cup of ice water, and a frozen treat. This week, these peanut butter fudge pops are getting a lot of play. They require only two ingredients, so get cracking!

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Butterscotch Pecan Banana Bread (GF)

Butterscotch Pecan Banana Bread (GF)

I know you’re all getting geared up for a three-day weekend (hooray!), so let me give you an easy breakfast option to make your celebrations even brighter.

Every time I post a butterscotch recipe, I talk about how I don’t ever remember to bake with it. But when I do, it’s the best flavor explosion. I’m trying to do it more often, and the overripe bananas on my countertop always present a fantastic opportunity.

If you are one of those people who craves moist (sorry if you dislike that word, but whatever) banana bread with crunchy pecans and sweet butterscotch chips, look no further. This bread is your soul mate! And it’s effortlessly gluten-free, too.

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All-American Peanut Cookie Bars

All-American Peanut Cookie Bars

The patriotic treats continue! Let’s get them all in there before Independence Day!

This time of year, I’m usually basking in summer with not much to do. But thanks to a recent job promotion, I’m burning the candle at both ends. I wake up, work, work some more, and that’s kind of how it is. But at least the sun is shining!

And I have these to sustain me. The base is my favorite flourless peanut butter cookie dough filled with my even more favorite candy aisle choices: patriotic peanut M & Ms and Baby Ruth bars. Heck yeah!

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Red, White And Blue Dipped Strawberries

Red, White and Blue Dipped Strawberries

Are you ready to party? It’s almost time for one of my favorite low-key holidays!

That’s right, kids. July 4th is just around the corner, so I’m dipping. Strawberries, that is. Honestly, is anything better than a dipped strawberry?

Don’t answer that question. Instead, think about how beautiful these will be at your holiday celebration, and how fancy they look. Especially think about how little time they take to make! About .02 seconds, really.

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Chocolate PB Chip Muffins (GF)

Chocolate PB Chip Muffins (GF)

The weekend is almost here! Time for breakfast fun. That’s right, sister. Throw down that smoothie bowl and grab a muffin!

Confession: I don’t really do smoothies much. As someone who rushes out the door to work in the dead of night (okay, well, 5:30 in the morning), I don’t want to be turning blenders on and waking up the sleeping monsters…oops, children. I’m more of a protein bar kind of girl.

But when there are muffins around, I’ll grab one of those instead. These are gluten-free and they even have protein in them (yay, Greek yogurt!), so they do the trick, And they’re peanut butter and chocolate. You are so welcome.

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