Banana Spice Cookies

I needed a new recipe to use for my ripe bananas. I found this one on allrecipes.com. It said to use a frosting that was a buttercream frosting, but I thought it would be better with brown butter frosting. They called for walnuts, but I'm not a big fan and didn't have any anyways, so I omitted them. I also added some nutmeg as well. They aren't the real cookie texture, more like a pumpkin cookie. Quinn said they were squishy.

Banana Spice Cookies

1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add one cup of the flour, the sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, soda, and cloves. Beat until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the remaining flour. Beat in bananas and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Can also check if they are done by touching the middle of a cookie, and if it bounces back, it's done. Cool cookies on a rack, then frost.

Brown Butter Frosting

1/4 cup Butter
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Tbls Milk

Melt butter and cook until a gold brown. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a good consistency.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Mom made this cake a few years back for Melanie's birthday. I thought it was so wonderful, so I made sure she sent me the recipe. It's a Paula Dean recipe. Since she's never posted it, I told her I would do it for her.

I have been craving it for quite sometime, so when I had the chance to make it for the Relief Society birthday dinner, I jumped at it. If I had the whole cake in my house, I would be sure to eat the whole thing and then lick the plate as well, so I was happy to share and only have a few slices to myself.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry flavored instant gelatin
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Garnish: sliced fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 round 9-inch cake pans. (For the cake to come out easier, line the bottom with parchment paper after you have greased it.)
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 4 cups

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry puree, reserving remaining for another use. Beat in extract. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.
Note: For pinker frosting, add 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to frosting.