One of those nights

Sometimes you just need a night of a mini Law & Order marathon and a glass or two of a nice pinot noir... or is that just me? I was having one of those utterly relaxing evenings this week, and knew that I had to whip something up to round out the lineup of indulgence.

I feel like I might have been behind on this realization, but ripe bananas freeze really well. No more carefully timed baking here - just wait for the bananas to get super ripe, peel them and freeze them in an airtight container. Now you can use them for baking whenever the mood strikes! I overzealously froze a half dozen a few weeks ago, so banana bread was the clear answer to my cravings. It's been a long time since I've baked anything because I've been so busy, and I especially haven't made banana bread in AGES. Not quite knowing where to turn, I searched the internet for recipes that would make the cut. Leave it to Food & Wine magazine's "Perfect Banana Bread Every Time" to blow away the competition.

I decided to sweeten things up and add some Heath toffee bits to the batter, and was very happy with the result. It's not identifiably "toffee" flavored, but there's an extra dimension that won the hearts of all who tried it. Another important lesson: EVERYTHING tastes better with butter. Forget all those banana breads you used to make with vegetable oil. There's just no substitute - nothing will have the same cakey texture, perfect crust and solid body without good old butter. Use it :)

Toffee Banana Bread
Adapted from foodandwine.com

4 bananas, very ripe
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C toffee bits (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 9"x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray.


Blend together bananas and sugar, then add butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 min, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

In a jam?

If you do find yourself searching for something sweet, hearty and easy to whip up, look no further than these jam bars. There's a little baking company in San Francisco that I'm working far, and before I ended up on their payroll I was smitten with all - but especially one - of their treats and tried to recreate it at home. While it wasn't exact, the bars came out even better than I expected, and definitely joined my go-to baking repertoire.

The beauty of these jam bars is that you can make them with whatever jam or preserves you choose! I'm a blackberry fan myself, but you could go with apricot, peach, raspberry or strawberry (shown in these photos). Perfect for any and every time of day or season, jam bars are exactly the way to start your fall baking!

Jam Bars
Yields one 8"square or circular pan


Oatmeal cookie base:
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 C old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp almond extract


1 C jam or preserves


Streusel:
3 Tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 C flour
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C old fashioned rolled oats


Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking pan (circular or square) with nonstick spray. Combine flour, oats, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy (several minutes). Add in egg and almond extract and beat to combine. Slowly add in dry ingredients, mixing on medium-low until just combined. Press dough into pan until it is an even thickness to all edges. 


For streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulsed until they form a coarse mixture with no butter pieces larger than a pea (or cut in butter with a pastry cutter). 


Spread on jam, making about a 1/4 inch thick layer (more if desired, but it gets messy!). Sprinkle streusel topping copiously over jam layer. 


Bake for 30-40 min, until the bars are set and don't jiggle in the middle when you slide the pan around. If the jam around the edges of the bars start to overcook (it will definitely be bubbling), cover with foil until set. I had to check these pretty frequently to avoid overcooking, so I would recommend testing for doneness every 5 minutes or so after 20 minutes.


Let cool completely in pan, then cut and serve!