BANANA MINI-MUFFINS

 I have been making sugar-free desserts for a number of years if I am making them just for us and sometimes when others will be eating. I was really glad when one brand of cake mixes started making a yellow cake mix, a devil's food cake mix, and brownies in a sugar-free variety. 

A couple of the bakers with the Cafe Treats also make desserts using sugar substitutes. Sometimes I can tell the difference, but often I can't, especially if a Zero Sugar cake mix is the base for the recipe. 

I read once that most recipes could be made successfully by reducing the amount of sugar by as much as 1/4 cup. They suggested that you start by removing 1-2 tablespoons of sugar in the recipe to test the finished taste in the dish. So often if a recipe calls for 1-1/4 cups of sugar, I just use 1 cup. I have never (so far) had a negative result in the outcome.

Friend and Cafe Treats Baker Sandi made these mini-muffins for Sunday's Cafe. I'm glad I managed to sneak one before I left for Sunday school, because I was about 10 minutes late getting back to the Cafe  and they were all gone. So I think the attendees of the modern service thought they were as delicious as I did.

I know what I will be making the next time I need to make a sugar-free treat for the Cafe.  

BANANA MINI-MUFFINS

1    Zero Sugar yellow cake mix (or regular one)

3    mashed bananas

2    large eggs

1    teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray mini-muffin pans lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Fill muffin tin with a tablespoon batter (a cookie scoop works great for this to make all of the muffins uniform.)

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool a bit before removing to a wire rack.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHERRY COOKIES

 

Imagine my surprise when I was describing these delicious Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies to a patron yesterday morning at the church's cafe, when she walked away from them and said, "Oh! I don't like cherries!"

So if you don't like cherries (dried) either, you could always substitute dried cranberries. My husband always told me he couldn't taste the cherries when he ate one, but I did with each cookie and loved it. (But I love cherries!) The recipe actually called for only 1/2 cup, but I added 1 cup (or almost all of a 5 oz bag of dried cherries). If you only add 1/2 cup you will definitely have some cookies that might not have any dried cherries in them.

This recipe is another recipe from Recipes from Karen's Katering, a Cookbook to Benefit the Karns Lions Club that I have so many recipes tagged in. 

The recipe made 3 cookies short of 4 dozen cookies. Since I only ask for 3 dozen of anything for the Cafe Treats at church, I kept the 9 extra cookies for us to enjoy at home. This really pleased my husband. I'm really glad also because there were no leftovers at church. I really can't wait to make these cookies again.

PRINT RECIPE.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHERRY COOKIES

1/2       cup (1 stick) + 1 tablespoon butter, softened

1/2       cup granulated sugar

1/4       cup packed brown sugar

1          large egg

2          teaspoons vanilla

1-1/2   cups flour

5         tablespoons baking cocoa

1/2      teaspoon baking soda

1/4      teaspoon salt

1         cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1         cup white baking chips

1         cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. (I just beat the mixture while I measured and prepared the dry ingredients.)

I forgot the brown sugar and added it after I creamed the butter and granulated sugar. (It was fine.)

Slowly beat in egg and vanilla.

(I did this by hand.)

In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

(I just mixed with a whisk as I just read over the word sift.)

Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and stir with electric mixer just until moistened. Do not overmix.

(This doesn't have to be completely combined as you will be stirring in the chips and dried cherries.)

Add the chips and cherries. (I cut the dried cherries in half first.)

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls (a cookie scoop is perfect for this) about 2 inches apart.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Cool on pans 5 minutes before moving the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

BEE'S KNEES BARS

 I really enjoying searching through my cookbooks or recipes I have collected to find new and interesting treats to make for the church's Cafe Treats. This recipe I found intriguing.

I found it in Barron's The Great American Bake Sale cookbook that I got (yes, you are correct) at an estate sale. In the margin for the recipe, it states, " This old Virginia recipe "originally" came from Scotland...and somewhere along the way butterscotch chips got in there. I guess that's what's called culinary evolution!"

I would love to know how it got its name. I finally decided it was because of the honey in the recipe, but other than that, I don't have a clue.

When it came time for me to write on the display board for the treat, I just wrote Honey Butterscotch Oatmeal Bars. That better described to the patrons what was in the bars. That's all they care about really. If I could I shared the story of the recipe and several people selected one just because of the story.

I loved the bars and will probably have to make them again sometimes just for us because they were all eaten (except for the one I took out for me to sample). I definitely enjoyed the taste of the butterscotch chips and honestly think the Old-Fashioned Oats on top were a good substitution for the slivered almonds. The almonds would have been a added treat though.

I hope you will give the recipe a try. 

BEE'S KNEES BARS

1       cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1/3    cup honey

1       teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

1-1/2 cups flour

1-1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1/2    teaspoon salt

1       cup (6 oz pkg) butterscotch chips

1/2    cup blanched slivered almonds (I used a scant              1/2 cup old fashioned oats)

2       tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the butter, 1/3 cup honey, and flavoring until smooth and creamy. (I just let the mixer run while I measured the dry ingredients.)

Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Blend together the flour, quick oats, and salt.

Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and

blend well. 

Stir in the butterscotch chips.

Press the dough into an ungreased 9 x 13 - inch pan.

(I dump most of the dough into the pan and then

spread it out as best as I can.

Then I take the rest of the dough and add it in clumps where I came up short.)

Sprinkle almonds over the top and pat into the dough. (I substituted the Old-Fashioned oats because I wanted the bars to be nut-free.)

Brush the 2 tablespoons of honey over the top. This was not easy so I ended up drizzling most of the honey and spreading out areas that were a little bit heavier with the honey.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. I personally baked mine 29 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

APPLE BREAD

 I have mentioned before how I especially like to buy cookbooks from restaurants, cafes, diners, B & B's etc. This recipe came from a cookbook to benefit the Karns Lions Club called Recipes from Karen's Katering. Most of the recipes in the book Karen says she has used for her catering career while some are from her grandmothers, her mother, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law  and most of her aunts.

I thought I would make the Apple Bread for the Cafe Treats at church so I made two mini-loaves instead of a large loaf. I'm sure her Apple Bread was very well received by the Lion's Club and anyone else she was catering an event.

I'm sure I will be making it again for the coffee hour. 

PRINT RECIPE.

APPLE BREAD

1/2      cup butter (1 stick), softened

1/2      cup sugar

1/2      cup brown sugar

2         eggs

2         teaspoons vanilla

1-1/2   cups flour

1-1/2   teaspoon baking powder

2         teaspoons cinnamon

1/2      cup milk

2         cups, peeled, cored, and chopped apples

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease of spray large loaf pan or mini loaf pans.

Cream together the butter and sugars.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Add vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients together in a smaller bowl and

then add to the mixture alternating

with the milk until blended.

Fold in the apples

and

spread the batter in loaf pan(s).

Bake for 50 to 40 minutes for a large loaf or about 40 to 45 minutes for the mini loaves.