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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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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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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Oatmeal Scotchies

Oatmeal Scotchies

Butterscotch is like hair dye. I don’t think about it that often, but when I do, I’m so glad it’s there.

My dark hair has been graying for a few years now, and my approach to that is to dye my hair increasingly fun shades of whatever. Right now it’s kind of cherry cola red, but I really wanted to go blue for winter. Kenny vetoed that choice, but the game isn’t over yet. There’s always next winter!

But now it’s summer, and for some reason, I always think of butterscotch when things heat up. One of the best combos ever is butterscotch and oatmeal. These oatmeal scotchies are the perfect lazy day snack!

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Raspberry Pecan Crumb Bars (GF)

Raspberry Pecan Crumb Bars (GF)

Oh, crumb bars. This is not the first time we’ve met.

I’m addicted to crumb. You show me a crumb cake and I’ll pick off the topping. It’s a dangerous game to play. Don’t hand me anything in the realm of crumb and expect me to eat it like a normal person.

When done correctly, any crumb cake or bar is overflowing with crumb. A crumb fiend like me has to be satisfied, after all. These beautiful bites of heaven are filled with raspberry jam and sandwiched with crumbly oat goodness. They’re also effortlessly gluten-free, which is the only way I wanna do it.

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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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Flourless Reese’s Cookie Bars

Flourless Reese’s Cookie Bars

Peanut butter cup lovers, prepare to be very happy. And when I say “happy,” I mean thrilled. Excited beyond the bounds of belief.

You all know that I have a passion for bar cookies, and I have an equally great passion for chocolate and peanut butter. In my world, no snack beats a Reese’s peanut butter cup. In fact, the absence of PB cups in life is a really good reason to never give up on sugar.

These are dense, chewy, peanut buttery, and flourless. That’s right. Why do you need flour when these bar cookies are decked out with enough peanut butter cup goodness to satisfy even the biggest fanatic?

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