Monster Lactation Cookies

Recipe from Mom Makes Dinner

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Week

One thing about being a food blogger is finding out about all the fun food holidays.  If you're looking for something to bake in celebration, look no further than the following tried and true:

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alton Brown's The Chewy

Thick and Chewy: A Personal Favorite

Bonus: Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Option 1: Brownies over Cookies

Option 2: Cookies over Brownies

Banana Peanut Butter Cake

The bananas in this cake makes it much healthier than other cakes right?  I jest, but everything in moderation, I say.  For my husband's brother in law's birthday dinner last weekend, I made this banana cake with peanut butter filling and cream cheese frosting.

I tested out a new banana cake recipe, which I included below, but I'm not 100% happy with it.  The banana taste was too subtle and I wish the cake wasn't as dense.  Given all the positive reviews, I might go back to this recipe but substituting cake flour and adding sour cream.

Also, I used melted chocolate to pipe "Happy Birthday" and I realized how much I liked the flow of the chocolate versus frosting.  Will definitely use this method again.

Banana Cake

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Makes 1 8 inch cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter

2 1/8 cups white sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour 3 8 inch baking pans.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Add the vanilla.  Stir in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk.  Stir in the bananas.  Pour the batter evenly among the pans.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it.

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.  Remove from pan and continue to let cool completely on the rack.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

Sources: 3 Vanilla Cupcakes from Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit and Butter Frosting from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book