Easy Apple Banana Bread #BreadBakers

Easy Apple Banana Bread is a wonderful transition from summer to fall, as our temperatures finally get cool enough to bake without cranking the air conditioner thermostat down to compensate.

You know when you are so fast asleep that the phone rings and you somehow incorporate it into your dream? That was me the other night. My sister called about 1 a.m. to ask if I could come over to stay with her girls because their father was being taken to the medical center for testing. The doctors suspected a blockage in one artery. Well, I didn’t wake up in the four rings it took the answering machine to do its thing so she had to call our mom to go. I felt terrible the next morning when I saw the phone blinking and realized that I had missed the call.

The next day, while he was still being tested, I was charged with picking the girls up from school, so I decided to bake an after school snack for them. There was a change of plans and I ended up not doing the school pick up but I can assure you that this easy apple banana bread makes an excellent after school snack! Or breakfast. Or midmorning coffee break.

In other good news, my brother-in-law is fine and he was released that day. I believe a stent may be in the cards but at least it’s not an emergency situation.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup or 75g butter, melted and cooled, plus more for buttering the pan
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large or 2 small apples
Option for decorating: a light sprinkling of powdered or confectioner’s sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Butter a loaf pan or line it with baking parchment.

Whisk your flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl and set it aside.

In another bowl, use a fork to mash your bananas until they are fairly smooth and pour in the melted butter.

Mix well with the fork until the butter is completely incorporated.

Add in the vanilla and egg and mix well again.

Peel and chop your apple/s finely. Add the apples to the banana bowl and stir well.

Fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.

Pour the batter into your buttered loaf pan. You can sprinkle on a little extra cinnamon and sugar, if you'd like.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the loaf is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Run a knife around the edges and turn the apple banana loaf out on to the wire rack to cool completely.

Slice with a serrated bread knife to serve.

Enjoy!

This month my Bread Bakers group is celebrating fall fruit and vegetables with a plethora of breads, both quick and yeasted. Many thanks to our host, Pavani of Cook's Hideout, for her behind the scenes work.

• Apple & Olive Oil Boulé from Food Above Gold
• Apple Cider Muffins from A Baker's House
• Apple, Pear and Persimmon Stuffed Brioche from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Baked Cauliflower Breadsticks from Sneha's Recipe
• Broccoli Burger Buns from Herbivore Cucina
• Brown Sugar Pumpkin Apple Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chilli and Cheddar Potato Rolls from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Easy Apple Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Figs Quick Bread from Basic N Delicious
• Harvest Bread with Sweet Potato from Cook's Hideout
• Kartofel Khleb - Russian Potato Bread from Ruchik Randhap
• Potato Bread Rolls from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Pumpkin Challah from Passion Kneaded
• Sauerkraut-Nut Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Savoury Potato Rose Rolls from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Spiced Apple Star Bread from Hostess At Heart

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches

Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches are the perfect make ahead breakfast for three or a crowd of 20. Assemble the night before and bake them up hot and fresh when your guests wake up.

I must confess that my go-to breakfasts for a crowd are usually pancakes, waffles or muffins. I make my life easy in the morning by getting organized the evening before, measuring out the dry ingredients into a big bowl and whisking together the wet ingredients in another bowl. I pop the wet ingredients in the refrigerator.

All that’s left to do in the morning is to combine the two and cook the batter, a process so simple that even I can do it while simultaneously sipping on my first cup of coffee. To measure ingredients in the morning, I’d have to be on my second cup to ensure any degree of accuracy. I’m sure many of you can relate.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing great recipes to serve when you are hosting a sleepover or slumber party.  I doubt my make-ahead batter tips are news to most of you so I decided to branch out a little. Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches take a little more time but you save that on clean up!

Ingredients per person
1 bread roll
1 slice ham
1 medium egg
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely grated sharp cheese
Sprinkle chopped green onions or chives

Extra equipment: aluminum foil cut in squares large enough to wrap your bread rolls individually

Method
(If baking immediately, preheat your oven to preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.)

If baking the next morning, start here:
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the top of your bread roll at a slight angle, like you would the top of a pumpkin for carving. Set aside.

Use the knife to cut around the hole so that you can remove the soft inside of the roll. Save it for another use like breadcrumbs or stuffing. You want to get the walls of the roll quite thin so that the heat can reach the egg quickly when we bake this.

Dry the ham slice with a paper towel and fit it into the roll, pressing down on the bottom to create more space for your egg. Don’t tear the ham or your egg will leak through to the bread roll, which we do not want.

If your eggs are very fresh, you might be able to skip this step: Crack the egg into a slotted spoon with tiny holes to let the very liquidy part of the egg drain away, leaving behind the rest of the white and the intact yolk.

Put the egg in the ham “bowl” in the roll.

Grind on some freshly ground black pepper then add the cheese on top. Sprinkle with some chopped green onion or chives.

Put the top back on the bread roll.

Wrap the whole roll completely with a piece of foil and set on a baking tray. Repeat as many times as necessary to feed all of your guests.

The baked ham, egg and cheese sandwiches can then be refrigerated overnight to be baked fresh and hot the next morning.

When you get up the next morning, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and remove the baking pan from the refrigerator.

Once the oven is hot enough, put the pan with the sandwiches in and bake for about 15 minutes. Pull one out to check how cooked the egg yolk is. Pop it back in for a little longer if the egg is still a little too runny for your liking. You are starting with cold ham, eggs and cheese so the time will vary by how cold they were and how soft you like your egg yolks.

N.B. If you make these and bake right away without refrigerating, they will take a shorter time to cook. I tested it both ways, baking one immediately and baking the other three the next morning. I was very happy with the results either way.

Once done to your liking, remove from the oven and leave to cool enough to handle. Hand out foil-wrapped baked ham, egg and cheese sandwiches and napkins to your hungry crowd. No plates to wash! Or put them on plates and get fancy.

I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking these could even be baked over a campfire in a Dutch oven or in a covered barbecue pit, away from the direct heat. Wouldn’t they be great for a Scout campout?

What's your favorite dish to bring or make for a slumber party? If you are looking for some great new ideas, Sunday Supper is here to help. Many thanks to our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections and our host, Marion of Life Tastes Good.

Breakfast

• Bacon Jam Recipe by Life Tastes Good
• Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches by Food Lust People Love
• Breakfast Strata with Bacon and Date by Caroline’s Cooking
• Broccoli Breakfast Bake by Cricket’s Confections
• Classic Buttermilk Pancakes by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burrito by Brunch-n-Bites
• Julia’s Mushroom Quiche – Quiche aux Champignons by An Appealing Plan
• Nutty Sweet Potato Waffles by Wholistic Woman
• Overnight Green Chile Breakfast Burritos by Cooking On The Ranch
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Treat Bars by Crazed Mom
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes by Books n’ Cooks
• Pumpkin French Toast Casserole by Moore or Less Cooking
• Swedish Pancakes with Brown Sugar Bananas by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Waffle Fruit Kabobs by Home Sweet Homestead

Snacks

• BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders by Mindy’s Cooking Obsession
• Better Than Anything Chex Mix by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Caramel Corn by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Cobb Salad Dip by Food Done Light
• DIY Grilled Cheese Bar by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Fluffernutter Puff Pastry Turnovers by The Weekend Gourmet
• Make-It-Yourself Caramel Apple Bar by The Freshman Cook
• Maple Fish Party Mix by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Midnight Chicken Nuggets by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• S’mores Snack Mix by Positively Stacey

Desserts

• 2-Minute Quick Fudge by Sunday Supper Movement
• Classic Oatmeal Cookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Heavenly Oreo Dessert by Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Peach Slab Pie by Pies and Plots

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Marshmallow Turtle Bars #FoodieExtravaganza

Caramel, chocolate and pecans are the key ingredients of those delicious little candies known as turtles. Add a crust and throw a few mini marshmallows in the mix and what you’ve got is marshmallow turtle bars. They are sticky, gooey and more-ish!

This month my Foodie Extravaganza group is bringing you loads of chocolate recipes, both sweet and savory, in celebration of National Chocolate Day at the end of October. I’m not a big sweet eater but I am fond of chocolate when it is either dark, semi-sweet or paired with caramel. A dark or semi-sweet chocolate caramel combination would be ideal, especially with pecans. Which brings us to my recipe.

These guys are sooooo good.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
1/2 cup or 63g confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup or 85g unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce or 397g can sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup or 115g pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup or 150g semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup or 165g toffee-and-chocolate candy (such as chopped up Heath bars)
1 cup or 50g mini marshmallows

Method
Heat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 9 x 13 inch or 23 x 33cm pan by greasing it or lining it with baking parchment. Personally, I'm a fan of the parchment.

Cut the chilled butter into cubes and put it in a food processor with the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Pulse until the dough just starts to hang together.

Use your clean hands to press the dough firmly into your prepared pan.

Bake until golden around the edges, about 12-15 minutes.


In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour the filling over the baked crust.

Sprinkle on the marshmallows first, then the chopped pecans, chocolate chips, and toffee pieces putting some of each until you’ve used up all of them.

Bake until the filling is set, the edges are golden brown, and the marshmallows are melted, about 25 minutes.

Cool completely and cut into bars. If you live in a warm climate, you might want to keep these in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

How will you celebrate National Chocolate Day? I’d like to recommend making a few of these. Many thanks to our host this month, Kathleen from Fearlessly Creative Mammas.

• 2 Kiss Cupcakes from Sneha's Recipe
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins from Not Too Shabby Gabby
• Chile Ancho Sopa de Chocolate from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chocolate Blintzes from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Chocolate Lovers Dream Cake from Cookin and Craftin
• Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Rugelach from Hardly a Goddess
• Crispy Chocolate Surprise Balls from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Hot Fudge Cheesecake Brownies from Cookaholic Wife
• Kahlua Chocolate Cake from Making Miracles
• Marshmallow Turtle Bars from Food Lust People Love
• Nutty Chocolate Fudge from Basic N Delicious
• Queen Anne Squares from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Simple Chocolate Cake from Passion Kneaded
• Slow Cooker Chicken Mole from Caroline's Cooking
• Triple Chocolate and Cream Trifle from Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

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