Pecan Spice Cookies

I took a nice long long break from blogging for the month of October. My brother and one of my best friends both got married (not to each other) and I couldn't be more thrilled!

But now it's back to life as normal. It isn't all bad. Luckily, I happen to adore cooking and baking, and I can't wait to share some of the recipes I've been working on!

Fall is now in full bloom (can I say bloom when referring to the Fall?), but when it was just starting to turn colder I was instantly looking for a fall-themed food item to welcome the season. I didn't have any canned pumpkin, and I was at a loss. All I could think of was pumpkin-spice flavored EVERYTHING.

And then it hit me. Pumpkin isn't the only thing that can be spiced. The spices themselves say "autumn is here!" And an idea was born. While we didn't have any pumpkin, we did have a Sam's size bag of pecans.

Success. These cookies are the mere essence of fall, and the chopped pecans only add to it. I give you Pecan Spice Cookies.

Pecan Spice Cookies
3 cups All-Purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.

3. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

5. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, mixing to combine in between each addition.

6. Stir in pecans.

7. Scoop tablespoons of batter onto greased cookie sheet.

8. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Lately I've been all about trying to eat healthier albeit yummy food. With regard to my eating habits, I was NOTHING like I am today when I was growing up. I didn't eat vegetables (literally - nothing green. I would order entrees "without the green things"), and ate very few fruits (think: apples, watermelon, cantaloupe. That was all the fruit I would eat).

What I DID eat was dessert, and lots of it. While I don't have much of a sweet tooth anymore, every now and then that dessert-only girl comes out and she demands wonderful treats to satisfy her cravings.

One of my guilty pleasures is banana bread. One day I saw a pin that would change my life, or at least my banana bread life. A girl posted a recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread. She actually put mini Reese's in her banana bread! While I applauded her ingenuity, I wanted to find a way to reach a similar taste with real peanut butter and chocolate chips rather than Reese's.

Enter Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. I like to throw my extra over-ripe bananas into the freezer for safe keeping just in case I need (yes, need) to make banana bread. My diligence was awarded one fateful day a couple of weeks ago when I decided to make this idea a reality. My mouth started watering as I mixed everything together. I won't make you wait any longer for the recipe because I am just that nice. If you don't already have some overripe bananas, you should probably go buy some now and make this in a day or two. Just don't be surprised if you can't stop eating it. My husband took it one step further - he warmed the bread up in the microwave and served it a la mode. Nom.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola, but just use whatever you have on hand)
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Using a hand mixer, combine the peanut butter, butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat until fluffy.

3. Add mashed bananas, oil, and egg. Mix to combine.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).

5. Slowly mix dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture, beating to combine in between.

6. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased loaf pan.

7. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until you can poke a toothpick and it comes out clean.