Banana Bread and Oatmeal Cookies mmmmmm

            So I said the other day that I was making Banana Bread, and I would post. I use my Fannie Farmer Cookbook that I adore, the ingredients are always in the house and I never seem to have problem allowing my Bananas go passed the actual eating raw stage.. then the house starts to smell like my Great Grandmother's house in New Jersey~ over-ripe banana smell. "Grama Marty" my father's grandmother... I hate that smell of over-ripe bananas. I never thought Grama Marty was particularly nice to begin with, so I try to use up my bananas that are over ripe before the house is invaded by the offending smell...

The recipe~ Fannie Farmer Banana Bread

• 3 ripe bananas 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 cups flour 
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 cup nut meats, coarsely chopped ( I never add these~ it doesn't mean you can't)
• I always add a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of cinnamon.  

  Mix in a bowl 3 ripe bananas, well mashed, vanilla and 2 eggs, beaten until light. 

  Sift together 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon baking soda.

  Add to the first mixture.

  Add 1/2 cup nut meats, chopped.

  Stir well.

  Put in a buttered loaf pan 9 by 5 inches.

  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees

                

               While it was cooking, Max and Connor were down stairs in the family room doing homework and watching tv- you can guess which one was doing what... they both came up stairs at least 3 times during that long hour to ask "What is that smell?"

and "When is that gonna be done?" Connor had 2 huge pieces and Max one.. both warm with butter mmmmm. I Love LOVE that I can make something so simple and have both the boys be so happy with it! 

                 I DID not want to bake over the Christmas Break~ Brian was the baker this Christmas, I was more content with making sure he had all the ingredients and being his wingman- AKA dish washer for his baking. Now- I feel more in the mood to bake.

                Last night I made Oatmeal Toffee Cookies at 7:30, which for me is late, but I realized I had two huge old school Tupperware containers of quick oats that need to be used up soon... so I see a google search for Oat recipes coming soon!

                I got the recipe from the Taste Of Home Website, their community bulletin boards are a wealth of older women posting tried and true old recipes, handed down for ages! I would print and print the recipes out, trying them, as I made them.. I would star the good ones and then attach them to index cards, to store in my Oh I love so much Longaberger recipe basket! 

Here is the recipe since the picture really isn't that clear~

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

1 C Butter ( I never use margarine for cookies)

2 eggs

2 cups brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups of flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oats 

1 and 3/4 cups of toffee bits- I normally just use the whole bag of Heath Toffee Bits/Brickle

1 cup coconut - optional- I didn't have it so my option was to not use it!

Beat butter,eggs, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, basking soda, salt and cinnamon, beat until blended. Stir in Oats, Toffee and Coconut with spoon- I do no do this- I add them all to the mixer.. one cup at a time until it is blended in.

Drop lightly onto lightly greased cookie sheets and bake 8-10 min at 375.

I used my Pampered Chef medium sized scoop cause I wanted larger cookies. And I used the Spray Olive Oil lightly on the pan.

They flatten out nicely too

I left them on the pan to cool for about 2 min and then transferred them to a cooling rack.. I love my cooling racks. I bought them when I was pregnant with Max, now every time I use them I am reminded of how far my life has come and how much I love being a Mom and Wife.. ahhhh so little of a thing those baking racks, but I will never get rid of them!

So- try the recipes, let me know what you think or even shoot me off your fave Oatmeal Cookie /Banana Bread recipe.. I love Heirloom recipes and "This is my Great Grandmother's recipe" It is exactly what I am trying to provide for my kids so that they have those special treat recipes that need to be handed down:)

*on a side note- I have figured out how to create a post and set it to post anytime during the day - which I am loving cause I can set it to post at a time during the day instead of doing them at night then posting them at night.. when not too many people are on line:) Yea me!!! a Technical WIN