Holiday Baking: Banana Bread, Whole Foods 365 Brownies, and Skillet-Baked Cookie

Here are a few items that I baked for the good folks at work. The first couple turned out well, smashing success with the banana bread and rave reviews on the brownies. I just finished the Skillet-Baked Cookie. Things could have gone better.

Banana Bread

from Martha Stewart Living / August 2004

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.
   
3. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.
   

Whole Foods 365 Brownies

Used to be on the bag of chocolate chips?

Ingredients
2/3 cup butter
1-1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1-1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts

How to make it
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Combine butter, sugar, water in saucepan and just bring to a boil
3. Reduce heat and add chocolate chips and vanilla extract; stir constantly until chocolate melted
4. Place chocolate mixture in large bowl and beat in eggs one at a time
5. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in separate small bowl
6. Gradually add the dry mixture to the chocolate batter
7. Add nuts if desired
8. Spread into greased 13 X 9 baking pan
9. Bake 50 minutes

Skillet-Baked Cookie

Martha Stewart Living, July 2002

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) mixed milk- and semisweet-chocolate chips
• 2 pints vanilla ice cream
• Caramel Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce.

a bad start

I pre-heated the oven, but when I put it in and set the timer, I must have inadvertently turned off the heat! This poor thing sat there for 30 minutes kind of cooking. It was a mess, had to sit there for another 30-40 minutes through pre-heat and cooking again. Also, I doubled the recipe, but I'm thinking that I shouldn't have doubled the vanilla extract. Too strong!