Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread

I love coffee cake, the crumb kind.  I've loved ever since I was a kid.  I was always after my mom to make a coffee cake on the weekends for breakfast, but she reserved it for a treat.

I also love banana cake.  The flavor is wonderful, plus I always have over ripe bananas laying around. It seems to be a thing in my house.  So banana something is always calling me.

Today I decided to combine my love of cinnamon streusel coffee cake and banana bread.  This wonderful decadent Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread is heaven!  Your whole house will be smelling wonderful while it's baking and your mouth will be watering just to get a taste of this delicious breakfast treat.

Who am I kidding?  breakfast, snack time, dessert....lunch! It's good anytime!

So if you have  love for cinnamon and banana bread this is just for you!

Enjoy!





Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread

16 servings

For the Streusel:
1/2 cup Sugar
3 T brown sugar
2 T cinnamon

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2/3 c sugar 
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c lite sour cream
1/4 c 2 % milk
2 t canola oil
1 t vanilla
1 large ripe banana, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Make the streusel in a small bowl, adding sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Stir to combine.  Set aside.  

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, stir to combine. In another medium bowl add sour cream milk, canola oil, vanilla, and mashed banana.  Stir to combine.    

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the banana mixture. Stir until combined. Pour 1/2 of the batter in the loaf pan.  Sprinkle on some of the streusel (you may not use it all).  Add the remaining batter over the streusel.  Take a knife and run it through the batter in a swirling motion. 

Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from the pan and continue to cool on cooling rack 15 minutes.

Quick & Easy Mini Sticky Buns

Weekend breakfasts are my indulgence.  I look forward to lingering over a nice breakfast each weekend but sometimes that is just not possible.  Such as last weekend.  

We were up and ready to go celebrate the Chinese New Year down at the LA Zoo pretty early on Saturday.  (so much fun!!!)  With visions of the Lion Dance in my head we didn't have the time to lounge around and sip tea and crumpets!  So I decided that something quick, but sweet, was in order to get us on our way.

If you don't this little secret I'll let you in on it...Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are an amazing convenience item.  Yes they are!  You can do so much with this dough it's unbelievable.  You can make savory items like stuffed pockets, or braids and sweets such as these Quick & Easy Mini Sticky Buns.  I always keep a roll in the refrigerator for emergencies like this...(a I want cinnamon fix emergency!)

I'm in love with hot gooey cinnamon and brown sugar...so both of those are on the list in this dish.  They provide the topping and make this quick bun over the top.  You need to be careful with these.  You may end up eating them all yourself.  Warning:  They are addicting!

These are easy to pull together.  The hardest part is waiting for the butter to soften.  So....use the microwave to soften it,  if you like.  They will be done that much quicker.  Soft, chewy, gooey mini sticky buns.  Got to love 'em.  Enjoy!

 

Quick & Easy Mini Sticky Buns

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter, divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of a cake plate. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter trying to cover most of the surface area.  

 

Unroll crescent dough and press the seams together to create one sheet. Spread with remaining softened butter. Combine white sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the buttered dough. (Save a little to sprinkle on at the end - couple of Tablespoons.)  Roll the dough into a log starting from the longest side.  Cut into 15-16 slices.  Place in pan cut side down.  Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and sugar.  

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool 5 minutes and invert pan on to a plate.  Serve immediately. 

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie

They say breakfast is the most important meal of they day.

After the body has been at rest it's a good idea to feed it in the morning so you energy to last you to the next meal.  It's simple really.  A good energy laden breakfast will satisfy you and give you the pep you need to feed your brain and muscles until lunch time.

During the week I'm not that great of a breakfast eater.  Toast on the run kind of girl.  So when I came across these wonderful breakfast cookies (yes, I said cookies!) that promised me a healthy start to my day I jumped at the chance to make them.  I mean, who doesn't want to eat a cookie for breakfast?

These are low in fat, contain whole grains, and lots of energy producing ingredients that are perfect for breakfast.  Much better than that muffin you pick up at Starbuck's with your morning coffee...

These are also a great snack.  One you should feel proud to feed your kids, and they're gonna love them too!  And since this makes a big batch you can freeze them.  Just pull them out of the freezer to thaw whenever you crave one.
 

They turned out wonderful.  Moist and chewy with some sweetness.  Do you like trail mix, or energy bars?  Well this is just like that, in a cookie.  And I tell you, they will fill you up.  What a perfect way to avoid those mid-morning cravings and avoid all the extra calories.  Perfect in every way.  

Enjoy!

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie

Adapted from BHG

Yields: 12 breakfast cookies

1 large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.   Add oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

Using a 1/4-cup measure scoop, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2 3/4-inch round, about 1/2-inch thick. Once baked, each cookie will be about 3-1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.

Bake, one sheet at a time, for 13 -14 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

Cinnamon Oat Pancakes

It's almost the weekend and it's time to make a wonderful breakfast.

Recently MGG and I took a little day trip and started off going up the coast, stopping along the way for breakfast and one of our favorite places.  A quaint little house that's been turned into an outstanding eatery, has people lined up to taste their breakfast specialties.  

 
One of my favorite breakfast items are pancakes.  I remember when I was young I used to always get dollar pancakes.  I felt so special with all those little bitty cute pancakes on my plate staring back at me!  I still love them.  Unfortunately, you don't see them often, but I still love regular pancakes too!

So I decided on pancakes, he had a monstrous omelet.  The special pancake on the menu was a Cinnamon Oat Pancake.  HEAVEN!  I love oatmeal in my pancakes.  It makes them so tender and moist. If you haven't had an oatmeal pancake you have to try one...really!

These were just perfect little brown pancakes with cinnamon mixed in.  HEAVEN again!  I was in love.  I tell you,  i n  l o v e .

These are my version of this fabulous pancake.  And if I do say so myself they are the bomb!  Just as good as the little house pancake breakfast!  So make some for your family this weekend.  You don't need a celebration for pancakes.  The weekend is celebration enough!


 


Cinnamon Oat Pancakes

Makes 8 4” pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 T packed brown sugar or 1 T Splenda brown sugar blend

1 ½ t baking powder

½ t salt

¼ t ground cinnamon

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup milk

1 large eggs

2 T canola oil

In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and oats.  In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and oil.   Add to dry ingredients and whisk just until moistened. 

Heat a large cast iron skillet (or nonstick) or griddle over medium heat.  Place a pat of butter on the griddle and spread to cover.   Pour batter by scant ¼ cup-fulls on griddle and cook until a few bubbles have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until browned on undersides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with more butter (if needed) and batter.

Cinnamon Toast Crescent Rolls

Time for a little tasty bit!

Sometimes you just want something.  A little something sweet, maybe a little after school snack for the kids, or just a little something with your coffee or tea.  A little tasty bit!

MGG always loves to have a little sweet with his coffee.  Today's dish would be perfect, but I haven't made these for him yet.  They are my secret...at least for a little while longer.

A really fond memory of a favorite food growing up was cinnamon toast.  Didn't you just love it too?  Of course we had the regular kind where you toast the bread, butter it when it's hot and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.  It will do in a pinch but my true favorite way was when mom broiled it....OMG!

She would take some bread and butter it and sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar and then place it under the broiler.  Magic! It turned out all bubbly, and caramelized...OMG...sorry, but I'm just having a moment here.

This has to be the BEST way.  Now that I'm all grown up (snickering) I still love cinnamon toast but, I just don't really make it anymore.

So the other day I saw some Crescent Rolls in the can...yes, the can...and BAM! I knew I had to make Cinnamon Toast Crescent Rolls.  I did tweak the flavors just a little by adding some brown sugar, just to help the caramelization along since that's what really draws me to my mom's broiled version.  They came out fantastic!  All ooey, gooey, and caramelized goodness...I can smell them now.

So I hope you try these.  Not really a recipe of sorts, but they are a good little tasty bit to make!

Cinnamon Toast Crescent Rolls

Yield: 8 rolls

1 can of crescent rolls (such as Pillsbury)
softened butter or margarine
2 T brown sugar
1/4 sugar
2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove crescent dough from the can and unroll.  Separate into 8 individual triangles and place the rolls on a working surface.

Smear one side of each triangle with softened butter.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.  Just a small amount on each one.  In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon until combined.  Sprinkle some cinnamon-sugar mix over each triangle, using desired amount.

Starting at the large end roll dough toward small point until a crescent is formed.  Place on a baking sheet.  Continue until all dough is rolled in crescents. 

Bake for 8-12 min or until golden brown.  Serve hot.