No, not that kind of baking.  Get your head out of the gutter.

I had some requests for my recipes from the other night so I thought I would post them for you guys.  We made sure to stay close to home the last few days just out of concern for the crazies exercising their last-day-on-the-planet desires.  As a result, I figured with Christmas coming, baking needed to get done and if some how the Mayans were accurate, what would be a better last meal than desserts?  Remarkably, I actually got a few other folks to do the same and now we are all a few pounds heavier and, well, happier!  So here we go:

Best Ever Banana Cake lives up to its title.  I found this on Pinterest, have made it a few times and I SWEAR it is actually super easy and comes out looking like you bought it at a bakery!  It is a lighter banana bread with cream cheese icing.  You can top it however you like (it calls for nuts) but I have done variations that include chopped dark chocolate, coconut and sea salt chopped almonds with great success.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake is a Martha Stewart masterpiece.  A great bake & take to an event, it is an unexpectedly delicious combo that never lasts more than 24 hours.  I am serious.  It is that good.  What’s awesome about it, aside from being super fast to make, is that if any makes it to the next morning, it is SO good for breakfast with your coffee.  Growing up in Europe, it is the kind of not-to-sweet cake I miss living back here in the US.

Sweet and Saltines from Trisha Yearwood is what I would qualify as a candy.  It is so simple and you make it in a total of about 30 minutes start to finish.  A layer of toffee is cooked on the tops of Saltine crackers then smothered in chocolate and popped in the freezer for 15 minutes.  I use dark chocolate chips and it is just DELICIOUS.

Cashew Brittle is a take on my friend Kari’s super easy microwave cooked peanut brittle.  Like I NEVER use the microwave to cook so this made think twice about it.  However, trying it, I am hooked!  I doubled the nuts and choose cashews but the possibilities are endless!

MISS KARI’S PEANUT BRITTLE

 

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light Karo syrup

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup of dry roasted peanuts

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp margarine

1 tsp baking soda

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray ahead of time.  Mix sugar, Karo syrup and salt well.  Microwave for about 4 minutes or until amber-colored.  Take out and add peanuts then microwave for 2 more minutes.  Quickly add vanilla, margarine and baking soda and mix well.  Will set up fast so spread quickly on previously greased sheet.  Wait until completely cool, pry up and break into large pieces.

 

Enjoy!

 

Any really awesome recipes you baked this week?  SHARE!