• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 tsp. vanilla

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of salt

• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Combine the first 5 ingredients (wet) in a mixing bowl.  Sift together the next 5 (dry) into another bowl, and combine being sure to mix well.

If you are adding nuts, fold them in at this time.

Pour the batter into three greased loaf pans and bake for 1 hour.

**Substitutions**
I don’t use vegetable oil for anything.  I substituted applesauce for the oil and they taste great.

I also used a bit of sucanat in place of some of the sugar – it gives it a richer, more molasses-y taste.  It’s like brown sugar, but a little stronger.  It’s made in a different way.

One other thing – I don’t recommend using paper cups if you choose to make muffins.  These are pretty sticky and it’s hard to peel the paper off.  I did this time since I knew I had more than one batch of muffins to make and needed the pan again soon.

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I’m not sure where we got this recipe, but it’s been travelling around with us for a few years and the whole family loves it!  Fortunately it makes more than one loaf, since the first loaf is usuallt gone within the first 2 hours or so of being baked.  It also makes great muffins to toss into a lunch box.

Banana Cream Pudding was one of those treats from childhood that you remember, then forget, then something brings it back to mind.  But oh, what a treat it is!

Last Summer I went to New York to see my youngest cousin graduate from college, and while we were there she took us to one of the many cupcake shops that are popping up.  This one served bananna cream pudding, and it was near perfection.  Just like mom used to make (and I can say that – my mom was there and said it too!)  It is complete with the soft, cakey chunks of cookie inside that remind you of pie crust, only better.

This is a cheater version for those that don’t want to make the pudding from scratch, and it has a little something extra in it… Chocolate!

And no, there isn’t anything about this dessert that is low-fat or healthy (well, except the bananas).  It is a treat, a delicious, cool Summer treat.

Ingredients

• 1-4.6 oz pkg vanilla cook & serve pudding
• 1-3.4 oz pkg chocolate fudge cook & serve pudding
• 5 cups of milk (per box directions)
• 3-5 bananas (depends on how many bananas you like in it)
• Nilla Wafers – just get a box
• 12 oz. heavy whipping cream or whipped cream

Make the pudding according to package directions, combining them while cooking.  While you have someone stirring that prepare your large bowl by dumping in some nilla wafers.  Some people will get fance here – layering the nilla wafers and the pudding so it’s pretty, but since you have to stir it all up later, I don’t bother.  I just dump in a generous mound of cookies about 2 inches tall in the bowl.

When the pudding has reached it’s full boil, pour it over the cookies and stir to make sure there aren’t any air pockets around the cookies – you just want pudding surrounding them!  Chill until set, about 3 hours or so.

When the pudding is set, slice the bananas into it and stir it all together.  Whip the cream until it’s stiff and fold it into the pudding gently.

If desired, garnish with sliced bananas, Nilla wafers and whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Christmas is almost here, and it’s a snow day today to boot – which this week seems to equal a longer Christmas break!  What’s a house full of girls to do?

Bake cookies, of course!

Growing up we had a recipe for a short while that was simply labeled “Susan’s Sugar Cookies.”  However, I can personally attest to the fact that there was nothing simplistic about them.  They were sublime.  What was the secret?  I personally think it may have been the lemon extract, but I can’t guarantee that, as I added it to other recipes with less spectacular results.

I have been searching for that recipe (or one like it) for decades.  You see, we lost the recipe card somewhere along the way, and no one else seemed to have it either.

I think I may have found a worthy substitute today.

These cookies can be called sublime… delicious… moist, thick, wonderful sugar cookies.  With just a hint of lemon, of course

What is their secret?  Well, the hint of lemon helps, but I really think it’s the cream cheese.  It’s not much, but it added a certain tang and moistness that really makes them delish.

And I will now share the recipe with you, because they are just too good to keep to myself.  Seriously.

Lemon Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 2 cups evaporated cane sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• fresh zest of 1 lemon OR 1 tsp lemon extract*
• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Cream the butter, sugar and cream cheese in a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.

Cover the bowl or wrap the dough in logs and chill for at least 3 hours.  Overnight is better.

Preheat oven to 390F.  Roll dough out on a floured surface or a pastry mat.  If you like a crisper cookie, roll it to 1/4 inch thick.  For moister cookies, roll to 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into shapes and place onto a making sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Bake for 5-8 minutes. For more moist cookies, take them out just before they “look done.”  Like as soon as the timer goes off the first time.

Try to restrain yourself and let them cool… or not your choice.

If you feel so inclined, decorate them with icing.  Royal icing is the typical topping, but I think a cream cheese frosting would be a lovely addition.  You know, cream cheese & heavy whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks and smeared all over the top of everything… err, these wonderful cookies.

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*yes, I highly recommend using fresh zest – get yourself a good microplane zester and use it often.  I hated lemon zest until I started using the microplane… and now, all I can say is wow!  The amazing flavor that can be added with zest!  If your zester is fine enough, you will never find yourself chewing the zest in the final product.  Go now & get one!

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No, admittedly I couldn’t restrain myself and had a cookies straight out of the oven.  I had to taste test them warm for you, right?  Of course I did.  And I can tell you from personal experience that they are delicious warm.  I’m sure they are good cold too… I have to go hold the girls back from gobbling them all up before they cool.  Or is that the other way around…

Lightly lemon-y, thick and moist.  Just the way a sugar cookie should be.

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One must give proper credit – that is an unwritten rule, is it not?  Following a series of links in my frantic searching today, I came upon a fabulous site that I will be sure to bookmark and visit often.  I invite you to also visit often, as I think this site is a winner.  Susan over at http://doughmesstic.blogspot.com/ is the author of these delicious cookies.  Thank you!  you have made me a very happy mommy today!

I have had some requests for chocolate that is vegan and good for diabetics.  I’m not sure on the diabetic front, but these use alternatives to sugar, so they just might fit the bill.  And they taste great too!

For those with wheat allergies, I’m sure you can sub in a gluten-free flour and these will work for you too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup honey, agave nectar or brown rice syrup – I use a combination of the three
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
• 2/3 cups vegan chocolate chips or chunked up chocolate bar
• 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Put the coconut oil in an 8″x8″ baking pan and put it into the oven while it preheats to melt the coconut oil.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips).  Make a well in the center and add the applesauce, honey and vanilla.  Stir it all together until just moist.  Pour into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the chips in a layer over the top.  Swirl in gently with a fork.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Serve warm and gooey with Rice Dream or let them cool and serve them room temperature.

If you have brownie lovers like my hubby, this will yield 4 servings.  For normal people, this will give 9 servings.

The end of Summer is here, and if you planted it in your garden – and the slugs didn’t eat it all – you may just have a plethora of zucchini lying around waiting to go bad.  What to do?

Make muffins.

Well, you can make bread if you want to, but the muffins seem to last longer around here… something about counting just how many you have eaten already causes us to show some restraint!

These are *healthy* to some extent, but they don’t taste it!  Don’t tell your kids – or hubby – how good they are for you, just how good they are!  The sugary crust that forms towards the top will make sure that they don’t believe they are healthy anyway.

I have no idea where the original recipe came from, but I have tweaked it – as usual – to suit my tastes.  The girls like it this way better too – double bonus!

And did I mention that these make a tasty breakfast?  Yum…

Down to business…

Ingredients:
wet

• 2 cups evaporated cane sugar
• 1/2 cup turbinato sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 eggs (or egg replacer*)
• 2-1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract

dry

• 2 cups unbleached white flour**
• 2 cup whole wheat pastry flour**
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of salt

• 1 cup chopped nuts, dried fruit, etc – optional

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a large mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients, making sure to mix the eggs thoroughly.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  This will be a wet dough.

If you are adding nuts or dried fruit, gently fold them in now.

Lightly grease your muffin tins, or use paper.  Fill each muffin cup just over 1/2 full.  We use a regular sized pan, and a mini muffin pan – the perfect size for the girls to take to school.  Either way, you should get at least 2 pans worth of muffins.  I usually get 15 regular muffins, and 24 mini muffins.

Bake at 325F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a middle muffin comes out clean.

If you are using a loaf pan, bake for 1 hour, or until the toothpick is clean.  It should fill 3 greased loaf pans.

Enjoy!

*if you use egg replacer to make these vegan, add it with the dry ingredients.  Add the water or apple juice with the wet though.

**you can use 3-1/2 cups white flour instead if you would rather, but the whole wheat adds a delicious flavor!  And helps them be just a tad more healthy.