Chocolate Chip Banana Bars! *healthified & delicious!*

What's a girl to do with 4 baking-ready (aka mushy) bananas?

As you may have noticed from previous posts, when I have extra bananas, I usually make banana bread (except for that one time I made banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon cream cheese frosting). I've done regular banana bread, chocolate chip banana bread, peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread, pumpkin chocolate chip banana bread.....

and they're all tasty! But I wanted to make not-a-bread.

So,

I made these! Whole Wheat Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Bars!! As the title makes rather obvious, these are made with 100% whole wheat flour and old-fashioned rolled oats. Also, I made them with no butter or oil! The only fat comes from the eggs and the chocolate! You could of course leave out the chocolate to make a healthier product; however, I believe everything is better when chocolate is involved.... ;)

They turned out soft, moist, and full of flavor! The chocolate-banana combination was delicious, and the oats gave them a hearty-healthy texture. mmmmmm mmmmmmmmm

Recipe!

Rachel’s Whole Wheat Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Bars

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3-4 medium/large bananas, mashed
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
10 oz bag mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 15x10 inch jelly-roll pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray (i.e. PAM).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and brown sugar. Stir in Oats. Add all of the wet ingredients (applesauce, eggs, mashed banana, and vanilla) and fold into the dry ingredients until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread into greased jelly-roll pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Delicious cut and served warm, or cooled!

Enjoy!!!

Good Ol' Chocolate Chip Cookies!

When I ask people what their favorite kind of cookie is, I'd say at least 8 times out of 10, the answer is chocolate chip. It's a classic. It has chocolate. and it is the perfect sweet treat!!

I like to mix things up a little bit and make things that aren't exactly what is to be expected. So, when I made these chocolate chip cookies, I made them with 100% Whole Wheat flour!! The results?? DELICIOUS! No one had any idea they were whole wheat. Packed full of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, these babies are high in fiber and whole grains too!

Recipe? You bet!

Rachel's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

3 T milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 12-oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 11-oz bag milk chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric mixer until well combined and fluffy. Add in the 2 eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until mixed. Then, add in the flour mixture and the chocolate chips (I put them in at the same time). Mix with the mixer just until combined, or fold in by hand.

Scoop onto baking sheet (I always line with parchment paper. and I used a small-sized cookie scoop). Bake 7-9 minutes or until just starting to brown around the edges.

Let cool on baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

SO GOOD warm out of the oven!! Also delish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fro yo!

Enjoy!!

Blondies from the Blonde :)

HAPPPYYY FRIDAYYY!!!!

This was a long week and I am SO glad it's Friday. Today's treat--
~*Chocolate Chip Blondies!!*~

The best way I can think to describe them is this: they taste like a super-soft chocolate chip cookie...almost like cookie dough, but cooked...

...mmmmmmm....melts in your mouth....

Delicious as is, or try with a scoop of ice cream for an extra-special treat!

Have a great weekend!

End of the Week Treat!

Happy Friday!!

I'm totally on a chocolate peanut butter kick!

SO, I made chocolate peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Bringing them to work, to a reunion potluck, to a sorority retreat...lots of places to bring along baked goods for peeps!

Have a great weekend!

Baking Update: yumyumyum

It's been a little while since I posted, but don't worry- I haven't stopped baking! My photos here aren't fantastic, but the treats were scrumptious! I brought 'em into work at Taste of DC!

Here's a little recap...

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Classic.

Chocolate cookies with mint chips, dark chocolate chips, and peppermint pattie chunks. SO good. These were truly addicting.

And finally, fudgy peanut butter swirl brownies. I love anything and everything that combines chocolate & peanut butter, and these are no exception! I've made them before- always chocolaty, fudgy, peanut buttery goodness. YUM

blondies!

I looove blondies! They taste like cookie dough, but they're not raw. It's perfect. Brought these in to Founding Farmers. they were gone really fast!