Banana-Brownies

After several failures at baking, I took one (last) shot at brownies over the weekend (mostly out of boredom). I had some leftover bananas in the fridge from buying too much at Costcos. They were already turning mushy so I had to do something before they completely become mush.

 Thankfully, I had a package of brownie mix, so I decided to make some banana-brownies.

I was also inspired by the banana-chocolate mousse cake that hubby got me over the weekend to make me feel better from my ear infection which I incurred from swimming last week in St. Thomas (he also made dinner the other day!).

He got a slice of choco-banana cake at Martha's Country Bakery after lunch with a friend at the nearby raman shop.

It tasted absolutely sublime - the layers of dark rich chocolate melted into the sweet, plush banana cream, forming a fusion of banana chocolate fondue in your mouth. It was so rich and creamy that I had to eat it in two servings because you can get quite full after a few bites.

So with my standards set pretty high, I set about with my banana-brownies.

First I mushed up four ripe bananas. I used an ice cream scooper here, but I think the mixer does a better job if your banana is not mushable enough.

Then, all I had to do is whip up the hand mixer and slowly, batch by batch, mix up the brownie mix with an egg, the bananas, and some oil. I used a little bit of left over soy milk to substitute the water. I like my brownie mix to be more on the watery side, so that it does not become as dense when you eat it. I considered adding some coffee, but it was already getting pretty watery with the bananas, so I decided against it.

And of course, it wouldn't be a Belle Boulangerie creation without some creative flair! I decorated the brownie with some malt balls! These added some texture and design to the brownies.

Finally, I popped it into the oven at 375F and watched the Olympics while I waited.

Half an hour later...

Personally, I was amazed at my beautiful creation. Never though I could be successful at baking again since my last two incidents, but hey, I'm back at it again!

The taste test went fairly well - it was a bit on the sweet side, I guess I really should have added the coffee or maybe some salt to even out the taste (cracked salt brownies anyone?) The banana flavor really came though in a big and bold way. It made the brownie a little jello-y, but added some flair to it. And the chocolate malt ball melted through, making a delish topping on top of an already sweet treat.

Unfortunately, hubby doesn't like bananas in his brownies, so he didn't really enjoy it. We both brought it to our workplaces to help consume it, and our coworkers all gave it thumbs up =)