There are three things you need to know about me:
#1 I am scatterbrained.
#2 I am forgetful.
#3 I already forgot what #3 was supposed to be.
(I’m not kidding either. I drafted this entry in my head, then a couple hours later I am finally writing it, and I’ve forgotten what I wanted to say.)
Oh, WAIT! I just remembered. #3 I am indecisive.
Ok, so… A while back I bought some cinnamon chips. I’ve previously used them in Cinnamon Fudge, which… I am just now realizing I never blogged. Hmmm… (I probably never blogged it because I wasn’t crazy about the recipe. I just don’t like the consistency/texture of fudge made with marshmallow creme. And I won’t blog something if I don’t recommend it, or at least if I had learned something making it. Here’s the recipe if anyone is interested. The flavor was good, it’s just the “mouthfeel” I didn’t like.)
See the pattern of forgetfullness & scatterbrainedness? Anyways. I’ve had a bag of cinnamon chips in my pantry for a while. I’ve considered baking scones or cookies, but never really settled on anything. Well, I also had a banana that was going brown on me, along with a couple that were REALLY brown frozen in my freezer! I kept forgetting about these ingredients, knowing I’d do something with them eventually. And then, I got the itch to bake. So… with those weighing thoughts, my mind began to turn. I could make banana bread, using the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe in my blog. But I didn’t want to do something that was just one step away from a previous post. So I pondered some more. (This is where you can observe my indecisiveness.) And I remembered something I made way back before my blogging days… Banana Bars! They were sort of blondie like, and I began to wonder if I could make banana blondies and add cinnamon chips.
And so… Cinnamon Chip Banana Blondie Bars it is! I clicked the very first link that came up in my Google search, a New York Times recipe, printed in 1983, for Banana Blondies that included chocolate chips. I did some adapting to the original recipe, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep “blondies” in the title, because they aren’t as thick and rich as say… these White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies, but they are definitely denser and richer than banana bread. In the end I kept the long name, because I just like the way it all sounds together!
One things that I can decide on, and I won’t forget, is the way these taste. Oh, wow! They are good! I’m really glad I decided to combine the banana and cinnamon flavors. I already knew it was a combo I’d like, because I LOVE these waffles. These bars are the perfect union between banana bread and blondies. They are just rich enough to know you can’t pass it off as breakfast. You know you’re eating dessert. But, you don’t have to feel too guilty, because there’s only 6 Tablespoons of butter, as opposed to 1/2 pound! I love how the cinnamon chips somewhat melted, but didn’t dissolve completely, as chips sometimes do in bread. They were so good I opted not to share with anyone other than The Boy & I.
Banana Cinnamon Chip Blondie Bars
adapted from the NY Times
YIELDS: 16 barsIngredients:
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup banana puree (for me, this was about 3 bananas)
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or 1/2 cup white & 1/2 cup whole wheat; or hell, just throw healthy notions out the window and do all white all-purpose if you want!)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cinnamon chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamonDirections:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a nine-inch-square baking pan.
Cream butter, add sugar and beat in egg. Stir in banana puree & vanilla. In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to wet until just combined.
Add cinnamon chips and walnuts and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before cutting into squares. (SERIOUSLY! Let these bad boys cool ALL THE WAY before you cut them!)
Click here to print.