A Day By Any Other Name...

 

     There is something about Tuesday that calls for recognition.  We made it through Monday. That in itself is deserving of a reward.  It's not "Hump Day" nor is it the day before Friday, which is a treat in and of itself. Tuesdays don't really have a significance (other than the fact that you can go to the movies for half price).  Because of this, I have deemed this day "Treat Tuesday." It has a nice ring to it doesn't it? 

 "Mike! Mike! What day is it?  Treat Tuuuuesssdaaaay!" I like it. 

     If you know me, you know that I like to bring treats along with me just about any place I go.  Work is no exception.  Treat Tuesday has taken on a life of its own at the Library. Today, I am bringing in some of these two bite wonders. They are relatively easy to make, don't require an oven and yield fantastic results. They just may have you saying "TGIT!"

Cake Batter Truffles

You will need:

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup yellow cake mix
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons milk

Truffle Coating:

2 cups of white candy melts
Sprinkles

Directions:

~Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined.
~Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
~Add 3 Tablespoons of milk,  more if needed, to make a dough consistency. 
~Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
~Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

~Once dough balls have chilled, place candy melts in a glass bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. 
~ Using a fork, dip truffles into melted chocolate and remove excess by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl.

~ Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles.
~ Repeat with remaining balls until finished.
~Chill cake batter truffles in an air tight container in the refrigerator until serving (they also freeze well).
~ Makes  24-30 truffles.

*Recipe adapted from: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Let's Bake Some Memories...

     It's a snow day here in our neck of the woods. Schools are closed and that rarely ever happens in Canada. It's a big deal. My kids are thrilled and, I have to admit, so am I.  Now that all three of mine are teenagers now, I find that the special moments are becoming few and far between.  No longer can I plan their play dates and pick their friends. I have to seize the moment and commandeer the snuggles. Today's the day! We are going to bake some memories...

Banana Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

You Will Need:

3-4 overripe bananas, smashed up

1/3 cup melted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

For the Swirl:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Line your muffin pan with 12 paper liners or spray a 9×5″ loaf pan with cooking spray
• Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together
• Sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture; then gently stir in flour
• Be careful not to over-mix!
• In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon
• Fill the paper liners halfway with batter then evenly distribute 1/2 the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter (or add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan)
• Add the rest of the batter to the paper liners and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top (or sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon-sugar all over the loaf)
• Bake for 20-25 minutes (50-60 minutes for a 9×5″ loaf)

*Recipe adapted from DeliciouslyDeclassified