Faux Nutella Banana Ice Cream

First, I just need to acknowledge that it has been awhile since I last posted. Let me just say being a distance learning teacher is no joke. After a year that was both insanely busy but also had some really great things about it, I am excited to have a break from teaching and more time for cooking (and blogging!)

In honor of summer, I wanted to do something ice-cream related. (My students would want you to know that National Ice Cream Day is July 18th, so you can perfect your faux ice cream this month and be all ready for National Ice Cream Day.) Recently, I have also been thinking back on my different culinary experiments, including a treat I would make my freshman year of college. I would mash a banana, stir in some Nutella or peanut butter, and then freeze the mixture. I did this with the expectation that it would taste like ice cream because the internet told me that it would. This March of 2013 creation was pretty disappointing in the sense that it did not remind me of ice cream. It tasted good, but it was not exactly an ice cream substitute. Now, in June of 2021, I am here to tell you that a blender does wonders to make frozen bananas more like ice cream.

This faux ice cream is a drastic improvement from my frozen mashed banana of years past. It is creamy and smooth and has strong Nutella flavor. The method could easily be replicated with other ingredients to create other flavors of faux ice cream. You still get some banana flavor in your ice cream, so make sure whatever other flavors you add, they compliment bananas. But otherwise, let your imagination run wild! The process to make this recipe is very simple and does not involve a whole lot of active cooking time, but you do need at least 4 hours of freeze time, so you will need patience when making this recipe. But the results are worth it!

Faux Nutella Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 Banana (or more, if you want to make a bigger batch).
  • Just under 2 Tablespoons Nutella (my final product definitely tasted like Nutella, so if you want more of a subtle flavor, you can use less)

Directions:

  1. Cut up your banana and freeze for at least 2 hours in an airtight container. My research tells me you can even freeze them overnight.
  2. In a blender, put your frozen banana pieces and Nutella. Pulse a few times to break up the frozen banana pieces and then blend until smooth.
  3. Put back in the freezer for another 2 hours.
  4. Enjoy!

Heavenly Almond Raspberry Cupcakes

Anyone else already grieving the end of summer? I know that there is still three and a half weeks left until Labor Day, but once August hits, it seems like summer is practically over. Some of my end-of-summer grief is no doubt instigated by all the schools announcing their plans for the fall. As a teacher, now that August has come and now that we think we know what school will look like, I am making to do lists and having moments of panic as I wonder how it will all get done. While I am still enjoying many of the perks of summer, school is definitely on the horizon and I am not letting myself be quite as lazy as I was a few weeks ago.

In an attempt to hold onto these last weeks of summer, I present to you the raspberry almond cupcake! These cupcakes have been adapted from a chocolate chip cupcake recipe from the cookbook Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. I used Martha’s recipe as a base because it has a unique texture that lies somewhere between your average cake and angel food cake. The cupcakes are lighter and airier than most cakes, due to the fact that whipped egg whites are a part of the recipe, but they are not quite as light as angel food cake generally is. (In case you do not know, when making angel food cake, one of the major ingredients is whipped egg whites – that is what makes the cake so fluffy and airy. These cupcakes do not use quite as many egg whites and has a few more ingredients than angel food cake, which is why these cupcakes are not not as fluffy as angel food cake.) The lighter texture of these cupcakes combined with the raspberry flavor makes it perfect for summer. Because I wanted to celebrate the lightness of the cake, I chose not to use any frosting, but instead top them with some powdered sugar and whipped topping. And, trust me, they are de-lish.

Heavenly Almond Raspberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sifted cake flour
  • 4 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 5 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 9 oz raspberries
  • powdered sugar (for topping)
  • whipped topping (for topping)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*. Line muffin pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine 3 1/4 cup cake flour, the baking powder, and the salt. In a separate small bowl, mix together the milk, vanilla, and almond extract.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add dry ingredients in batches, taking turns with adding the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. When adding mixtures, beat just until combined.
  4. In a different bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.*
  5. Gently fold one third of the whisked egg whites into the batter. Then carefully fold the rest of the egg whites in. Toss the raspberries with the remaining flour and carefully fold them into the batter.
  6. Put batter into cupcake liners and bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, approximately 22 minutes. Let cool.
  7. To serve, dust some powdered sugar on top and add a generous dollop of whipped topping. Enjoy!
This is what your egg whites should look like when you are done whisking them.

*Notes on whisking egg whites: It is important that if you are using the same mixer as with the rest of the batter that you clean the beaters before whisking the egg whites. Also, it can be nerve-racking to figure out when to stop whipping the egg whites as you do not want to stop whipping them too early, but you also do not want to over mix them. A good test to tell if they are done is if you start to turn the bowl over and the egg whites stay in place. If you start tipping the bowl and the egg whites move, then you can keep whisking them.

Banana Bread

This feels almost like a signature dish for me. A baked good that I am known for. Something that I am an expert at making.

This mindset comes from my senior year of college, when I lived in a house with five other girls. The first semester in that home is filled with some of my favorite memories – cookie bars, cheesy Christmas movies, making amazing (a.k.a. ridiculous, but in the best way) music videos, late night conversations, and an entire collection of Webkinz. One of my regular contributions to our little household was turning leftover and forgotten about bananas into beautiful banana bread. Truthfully, I do not know why we never learned to buy fewer bananas, because there was almost always some overripe bananas sitting in our kitchen. But as long as there continued to be bananas no one wanted to eat, I continued to keep making banana bread. Often, the freshly made loaves were gone within twenty-four hours.

When I would make this bread for my housemates in college I often put chocolate chips in it, so if you are wanting a little additional sweetness, I highly recommend the chocolate addition. However, if you are not in the mood for some chocolate, it is just as delicious on its own. It is important to use bananas that are past the point where you would want to eat them. As bananas get more ripe, they develop more flavor, and so using bananas that are not overripe could lead to bread lacking in taste.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2-3 mashed bananas
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300* F and line one large (or two small) loaf pans with parchment paper and/or cooking spray.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs one at a time and then add bananas.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
  5. Add vanilla.
  6. Bake for about 1 hour. Let cool and enjoy!

Peanut Rice Salad

I know rice salad sounds like a strange thing. But quinoa salad is a thing. Pasta salad is a thing. So I am declaring rice salad a thing. If you’re still not on board with me, think of a stir fry that involves no frying.

The original inspiration for this salad was one of my favorite restaurant orders – a Thai Chicken wrap from Good Earth. That rice-veggies-chicken-peanut sauce combination is one of my favorite things to eat. While this salad is not exactly the same thing (the main difference being there is no chicken), it is carrying me through my craving while my household is still choosing to avoid restaurants.

Another great thing I have been enjoying about this salad is that you can easily make a big bowl of it and then have leftovers for a few days. When I do this, I only put the peanut sauce on what I am eating that day to help the vegetables stay crisp while they are in the fridge.

A final note is that, as is generally true about salads, a lot of this recipe is based on your personal preference. The amount of nuts, veggies, and peanut sauce are all to your taste, so adjust accordingly. Also, I roast the broccoli because I think roasted broccoli is the closest vegetables can get to candy, but you may choose to roast all the vegetables you put in the salad, or you may choose to not roast any of them. The directions for how to roast the vegetables will be below the recipe.

Peanut Rice Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 1 large or 2 small heads of broccoli
  • 1/3 of a red bell pepper
  • 3 oz matchstick carrots
  • Handful of cashews
  • Handful of peanuts
  • Peanut Sauce (I use a Thai peanut sauce that can be found in the “international foods” section of the grocery store.)

Directions:

  1. Prepare the rice. If you have not cooked rice before, you put equal parts rice and water into a pan. Over medium heat, cook the rice until you can no longer see excess water, stirring occasionally. I usually put the lid on the pan for the first several minutes and then as the rice gets close to being done, I keep the lid off so I can keep a better eye on the rice.
  2. While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables: cut the broccoli into florets and cut the red pepper into small pieces. If you want to roast any of your vegetables, do so now.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the rice, vegetables, cashews and peanuts.
  4. Add peanut sauce to taste. Enjoy!

How to roast vegetables

  1. Preheat oven to 400* F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
  2. In a bowl, mix together your vegetables with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. There should be enough olive oil to coat the vegetables without there being much excess.
  3. Depending on how many vegetables you have, cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cookies ‘n Cream Blondies

I do not know about you, but I will eat anything that is cookies ‘n cream flavored. That and salted caramel are the best add-ins known the man. So when I saw a bag of cookies ‘n cream chips in the chocolate chip section a few months ago, it was love at first sight. Actually, on this particular grocery store trip, I also discovered that salted caramel chips are a thing now. You can imagine how life altering this grocery store adventure was.

Look at those little piece of cookies ‘n cream goodness!

These cookies ‘n cream chips have sat in my pantry, just waiting to be opened and enjoyed, and this weekend they finally made their way into my baking (and some of them just went straight into my mouth). And let me tell you, it has been thirty-six hours and there are not many blondies left – both my parents and I have been inhaling them. They are chewy and gooey and the right amount of sweet.

The blondie base is a slightly modified version of Molly Yeh’s olive oil blondies. The one main difference is that I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil. While the blondies are good with olive oil, the olive oil flavors the blondies a little bit and I was not sure how that would taste with the white chocolate chips and chocolate cookie bits.

Cookies ‘n Cream Blondies

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup vegetable oil or other flavorless oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup cookies ‘n cream chips (if you cannot find these in the store, you can combine white chocolate chips and smashed up Oreos to make your own)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350* F. Spray an 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a different bowl, combine the oil, vanilla, and eggs.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine. Fold in the cookies ‘n cream chips.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 35 minutes. The blondies will be done when the center is set.
  5. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Raspberry Scones

Raspberries. They are one of those fruits that taste like summer. Those little pops of flavor – so delicious. But when you tell them that they are going to be a scone ingredient, they get sassy. If you decide to put your foot down and insist that, whether they like it or not, those little raspberries are going to be used for scones, expect them to say, “Fine. But I will not make this easy for you.”

All that to say, every time I have tried to make scones with raspberries, the raspberries make the dough sticky and difficult to knead. My personal theory is that when you start trying to knead the scones, the raspberries break apart and release extra water into the dough. Due to this phenomenon, I do not even try to knead these scones. It can only lead to frustration, using a lot of extra flour, and sticky hands. Instead, take this dough straight from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet. If you were to use the base of these scones and then add in ingredients that did not include fruit, I would recommend kneading the dough and then dividing the dough in half. With each half, you would flatten it into a circle and cut it into eight triangles (ending with sixteen scones overall.)

After dealing with the raspberries and their sass, you will end up with soft little pillows of deliciousness and are perfect for a spring or summertime brunch. Or just to enjoy all by yourself.

White Chocolate Raspberry Scones

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus a little more for when you form your scones)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (plus a little more for sprinkling)
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 6 oz (1 small container) raspberries
  • 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375* F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. I also spray the parchment paper with cooking spray for extra backup…but I am paranoid about stuff sticking, so that is probably overkill.
  2. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then gently mix in the white chocolate chips and raspberries.
  3. Add in whipping cream and gently mix all the ingredients together. It is important that you mix these gently in order to keep the raspberries as intact as possible.
  4. Melt the butter.
  5. While the butter is melting, put a little flour on your hands to help prevent the dough from sticking to them. Then, using between 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of dough, form small flat circles and place them on your baking sheet.
  6. Brush the top of your scones with the melted butter and then sprinkle on some sugar.
  7. Bake the scones for about 20 minutes until the edges turn a light golden brown color.

Notes:

  • You want to aim for there to be around 16 scones. I ended up with 18. You may need to adjust the baking time based in how many scones you have. (For example, if you end up with 14 scones, they will probably need to bake a little longer than my 18 scones did.)
  • Be generous with your sugar sprinkling! It adds a nice little bite of sweetness to the very top of your scone.
  • This recipe was adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker’s Chocolate Chip Scone recipe. That recipe can be found here: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/chocolatey-morning-goodness/