What can I do with bananas to keep them around longer?!
I forgot I bought bananas like a week ago (yeah, my place is a mess right now)!. They have been sitting in a plastic bag, and it looks like there's fuzzy gray growth on the stem, but the bananas themselves are fine!.
Fine as in perfect ripeness!. Which means unless I eat a whole bunch of bananas very quickly, I'm going to be dealing with some quickly declining bananas!.
So, is there anything to do besides chow down!? Will they freeze well!? I've heard of a frozen banana desert before!.
Any clue!?!?!?Www@FoodAQ@Com
Fine as in perfect ripeness!. Which means unless I eat a whole bunch of bananas very quickly, I'm going to be dealing with some quickly declining bananas!.
So, is there anything to do besides chow down!? Will they freeze well!? I've heard of a frozen banana desert before!.
Any clue!?!?!?Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
You could make frozen bananas:
From the Food Network
8 medium bananas, peeled
8 wooden popsicle sticks
32 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Dipping decorations: granola, chopped nuts, sprinkles, jimmies, crushed cookies, and toasted coconut
Line a sheet pan with waxed paper!. Cut 1-inch off the end of each banana!. Insert a popsicle stick into the cut-end of each banana, pushing the stick halfway in, leaving the other end exposed for use as a handle!. Place the bananas on the sheet pan and freeze 1 hour!.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally!.
Arrange the dipping decorations on several flat plates!. Working with 1 banana at a time, dip it in the chocolate and turn to completely coat (spoon some on, if needed)!. Roll the dipped banana in the desired decorations, transfer to the sheet pan, and return to the freezer!.
Once frozen, store the bananas in an airtight container!.
Serving suggestion: To serve at a kid's party, paint a hunk of styrofoam and stick the banana handles in the top, so they stand upright!.
Or, Banana Bread:
from 101 cookbooks
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour (you can mix half whole wheat half all-purpose)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c mashed ripe bananas (I usually use 3 bananas)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup nuts
Preheat oven to 350!. Butter and flour (or line with parchment paper) loaf pan!.
Whisk together dry ingredients in small bowl!. Mix bananas, milk and vanilla in another bowl!. Beat butter and sugar in mixing bowl until light and fluffy!. Add one egg at a time, mixing until incorporated!. Then alternate mixing in dry and wet ingredients in two batches starting and ending with dry ingredients!. Stir in nuts!. Pour into prepared pan!.
Bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean!.
Or, Banana Cookies:
from Simply Recipes
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 egg, room temperature
* 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ? large bananas)
* 1 teaspoon of baking soda
* 2 cups of flour
* pinch of salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
* 1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F!. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy!. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy!.
2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda!. Let sit for 2 minutes!. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise!.
3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture!. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined!.
4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using!. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet!. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown!. Let cool on wire racks!.
Makes about 30 cookies!.
Hope this helps!Www@FoodAQ@Com
From the Food Network
8 medium bananas, peeled
8 wooden popsicle sticks
32 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Dipping decorations: granola, chopped nuts, sprinkles, jimmies, crushed cookies, and toasted coconut
Line a sheet pan with waxed paper!. Cut 1-inch off the end of each banana!. Insert a popsicle stick into the cut-end of each banana, pushing the stick halfway in, leaving the other end exposed for use as a handle!. Place the bananas on the sheet pan and freeze 1 hour!.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally!.
Arrange the dipping decorations on several flat plates!. Working with 1 banana at a time, dip it in the chocolate and turn to completely coat (spoon some on, if needed)!. Roll the dipped banana in the desired decorations, transfer to the sheet pan, and return to the freezer!.
Once frozen, store the bananas in an airtight container!.
Serving suggestion: To serve at a kid's party, paint a hunk of styrofoam and stick the banana handles in the top, so they stand upright!.
Or, Banana Bread:
from 101 cookbooks
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour (you can mix half whole wheat half all-purpose)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c mashed ripe bananas (I usually use 3 bananas)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup nuts
Preheat oven to 350!. Butter and flour (or line with parchment paper) loaf pan!.
Whisk together dry ingredients in small bowl!. Mix bananas, milk and vanilla in another bowl!. Beat butter and sugar in mixing bowl until light and fluffy!. Add one egg at a time, mixing until incorporated!. Then alternate mixing in dry and wet ingredients in two batches starting and ending with dry ingredients!. Stir in nuts!. Pour into prepared pan!.
Bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean!.
Or, Banana Cookies:
from Simply Recipes
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 egg, room temperature
* 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ? large bananas)
* 1 teaspoon of baking soda
* 2 cups of flour
* pinch of salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
* 1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F!. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy!. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy!.
2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda!. Let sit for 2 minutes!. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise!.
3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture!. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined!.
4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using!. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet!. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown!. Let cool on wire racks!.
Makes about 30 cookies!.
Hope this helps!Www@FoodAQ@Com
You can slice them, put them on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper freeze them about eight hours then take the slices and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer untill your ready to make banana bread or something!. You can also make a facial mask out of them by mashing them up, adding a splash of honey & leaving it on for 15 minutes!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Yes, you could freeze them , My Grandma used to always freeze bananas and then make banana bread! It was soo good! I also heard a little tip that may help you, when you buy the bananas pull them apart from each other, if they are not connected to each other they ripen slower!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Freeze em! And eat em!. Delicious!Www@FoodAQ@Com