Exceedingly Mundane

Tim is still working from home all weekend – basically working around the clock on his project. Which, as I blogged about yesterday, makes for an odd weekend for us – one spent around the house. I took the time and opportunity to do something I don’t get to do nearly as much of as I would like. Bake.

I love to bake. I think it’s the mathematical/computer side (is that Left Brain or Right Brain?) that I tend to like recipes that are exact, with exact measurements. Plus, I just always like the outcome more – sweet and sugary and fattening.

This afternoon, I made an old favorite, Black Bottom Banana Bars. To use up some old ripe bananas and to make something with a tiny bit of chocolate taste to satisfy my craving. The recipe is both on the extended page (click the Read more button) and also here on our main site, Hambones.org. As are all of the recipes that are in my “tried and true” files. Feel free to check them out if you’d like.

The result:

More pictures and full recipe on the extended page…

The batter, in two layers. You put half the batter, mixed with cocoa, on the bottom, then the rest of the banana batter on top:

Then swirl:

And after they come out of the oven:

RECIPE:

Black Bottom Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas — about 3 medium
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa

Directions
In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat til thoroughly combined. Blend in the bananas. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half; spread into greased 13 x 9 in x 2 inch baking pan. Spoon remaining batter over top and swirl with a knife.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or til bars test done. Cool.

Yield 2 1/2 to 3 dozen.

Stacy’s Notes – have made these many times. An old favorite. They are crumbly and very hard to cut evenly, so they don’t make a very good presentation bar to take to a function. But they taste delicious and we eat them at home! 🙂