Originally posted on December 4, 2005.

Since the holidays are upon us once again I decided to make some chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. The ingredients are simple, and they’re inexpensive to make. Three dozen homemade cookies for less than a bag of Chips Ahoy^®, woo?

Basic Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° (use an oven thermometer!)
2. Mix together softened butter, brown sugar and white sugar in mixing bowl.
3. Mix in egg and vanilla.
4. Mix in peanut butter, baking soda and salt.
5. Mix in all-purpose flour.
6. Fold in peanut butter and chocolate chips.
7. Spoon onto a greased sheet pan.
8. Bake 10 minutes at 375°, then cool on a cooling rack.

Now onto the pictures for the rest!

Here are our basic ingredients. Some all-purpose flour, brown sugar, white sugar, peanut butter, butter, salt, vanilla extract, an egg and some baking soda.

Note: After taking this photo I decided to go with a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips, instead of just straight chocolate chips..

After letting a stick of butter sit out and get soft, break it up into pieces in a mixing bow and beat it some with the mixer. Then add in the 6 tbsp of brown sugar and 6 tbsp of white sugar..

Beat the butter and sugars together until mixed well with your hand mixer.

Add one egg to the butter and sugar mix..

Then add in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Note: The cute little “shot glass” measuring cup I’m using measures ounces, teaspoons and tablespoons. And it’s available on Amazon.com for $3.50, click here to get one!

Beat the mix again well with your hand mixer.

Add 1 cup of peanut butter, ½ tsp of baking soda and ½ tsp of salt.

Then beat it up good again with your hand mixer.

Mix in 1 cup of all-purpose flour with your hand mixer until completely combined.

Then fold in ¾ – 1 cup of chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Note: I used a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips..

Spoon small globs of the cookie dough onto a greased sheet pan. I space them out a little, so I get about 12 per sheet.. If you’re using a smaller “cookie sheet” this will be less.

Note: I use the spray lube, but you could also lightly grease with vegetable oil.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375°, or until the edges start to get a little hint of brown around the edges. And they’ll be pretty soft, so don’t touch them right away!

Set the sheet pan on the stove top to rest for 10 minutes before attempting to remove the cookies. After 10 minutes place them on a cooling rack and cover with a dish towel to cool for 20 minutes before doing anything with them.

And here are the cookies on the cooling rack. I already ate two, and they’re good!

Originally posted posted on November 12, 2005.

This is the recipe I use for banana bread. I’ve always loved banana bread, especially with walnuts. But the walnuts are optional if you have a nut allergy. As usual I used organic ingredients (bananas, eggs, vanilla, walnuts) where possible, but you can use non-organic stuff and make it cheaper.

I usually try to avoid using specialized gadgets for the web recipes, but using a hand mixer makes some of this a bit easier than mixing by hand.

Basic Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° (use an oven thermometer!)
2. Mash ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in beaten eggs with a hand mixer until blended.
4. Add sugar in gradually while beating with hand mixer.
5. Add in shortening (in small chunks) and vanilla, and beat some more with hand mixer.
6. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt, then blend into batter.
7. Chop walnuts up some and mix into batter by hand.
8. Bake 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours at 300°.

Now onto the pictures for the rest!

Our basic ingredients are some very ripe bananas, all-purpose flour, baking soda, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, shortening and walnuts.

Note: I bought some organic bananas fresh (the 3 were about ¾ pound) and let them sit on a shelf in my kitchen for about 7 days to let them get as “ripe” as you see here..

To start peel the bananas, break them into smaller chunks, and mash them up in a mixing bowl with a potato masher.

Beat the 2 eggs and add them to the mashed bananas, then beat some with your hand mixer.

Add the 1 ¼ cups of sugar to the mix, and beat some more with the hand mixer.

Then add in the ½ cup of shortening and 1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract, and beat some more with the hand mixer. (Your arm would be pretty tired by now mixing by hand, heh..)

In another bowl whisk together the 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda and ½ tsp of salt.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt combination to the banana puree mixture and blend together with the hand mixer again. (You’re getting your money’s worth from the hand mixer, eh?)

Chop the walnuts with a knife and add them to the batter.. Mix them in a bit by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Pour the whole mess into your favorite greased 9″ x 5″ bread pan.

Place into a 300° pre-heated oven and bake for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours (mine went closer to 1 ½ hours). You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick or sharp knife comes out clean when you poke it.

Note: If you don’t already have one, pick up an oven thermometer. My gas oven is a little old and can be anywhere from 25 to 50 degrees hotter than what the dial reads..

Let the loaf cool on a cooling rack for an hour or so, covered with a dish towel, before cutting into it. Then it’s ready to eat! mMmm.