Toaster Oven Baked Banana Crumble Topped With Vanilla Ice Cream

Here's a simple toaster oven baked banana recipe for your guilty pleasures. You can find these ingredients from any major supermarkets.

What you need for this baked banana recipe:

4 ripe bananas, peeled
1 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup oatmeal (quick cooking)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or flavoring
6 tablespoons cold butter

Preparation time for this Caramel Baked Apples recipe: 10 to 15 minutes
Cooking time for this toaster oven Caramel Baked Apples recipe: 15 to 20 minutes
Optional ingredient for this toaster oven Caramel Baked Apples recipe: vanilla ice cream

Directions for this Caramel Baked Apples recipe:

Start with this simple recipe by preheating the toaster oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a cup, combine 3/4 cup orange juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Set aside.

This toaster oven Caramel Baked Apples recipe calls for 4 baking pans. Brush each pan lightly with butter. Set aside.

Slice the bananas lengthwise and arrange each slice (cut side up) on 4 buttered baking pans. Drizzle each with orange juice and vanilla extract mixture.

In a container, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Cream butter into this mixture. Blend all ingredients using two knives or a pastry blender to create a crumble mixture. Blend until pea-size crumbles start to form.

Top each slice of banana with a heaping of this crumble mixture and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crumble mixture browns. Remove from oven. Top with vanilla ice cream and serve.

Banana Pudding and Vanilla Wafers... the Perfect Crowd Pleaser!

Next time someone signs you up for "dessert duty" at the family barbecue, cookout, picnic or whatever other type of party you may attend this summer, consider the old pudding-and-cookies recipe. It's a gooey dessert that really wows the crowd. I usually bring the banana vanilla version (detailed below), but you can try any combination of flavors. Here's the jist of it.

The Recipe:

2 boxes of Nilla wafers

4 cups of instant Vanilla pudding

8 bananas

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 small container of sour cream (optional)

To Make:

Prepare pudding according to the recipe on box. Line the bottom of a large, snap-on plastic container with a layer of Nilla wafer cookies. Spoon out a layer of Vanilla pudding over the cookies. Slice up the bananas. Layer some of the banana slices over the pudding. Follow with a layer of Cool Whip. Repeat layering, in same order (cookies, pudding, bananas, Cool Whip.)

If you like your recipes to be a little less sweet, you can spoon a few globs of sour cream into the vanilla pudding, but even if you don't, this will come out pretty darn good.

After assembling your pudding and snapping on the lid, refrigerate overnight so that the cookies can soften overnight for extra gooey fun.

Note: whatever way you present this recipe, it will still taste just fine. You can get fancy and serve it in a parfait glass, layering very carefully and slipping Nilla wafers and bananas down the sides of the bowl, where they can be seen suspended in the pudding. Or you can mix up the Cool Whip with the pudding and just throw it together in a big container.

To serve: scoop into plastic cups or paper plates.

Reactions:

I'm not sure exactly why, but a funny thing happens to people as they consume this goopy stuff. As eating commences, a hush falls over the gathering, and the sound of smacking lips and plastic spoons grazing cups can be heard. Appreciative murmurs soon follow. Both children and adults grow mesmerized, inhaling cup after cup like it's their job.

Here are some verbal reactions I've had:

"Ooooh. That stuff is GOOD. What is that, bananas?"

"Hey, honey you have to come over here and try this banana stuff!"

"Do you mind if I just sit here next to the pudding? I'll leave some for other people... I swear."

"Wait, so... what's the recipe again? Bananas? And then... what do I do with the pudding..."

"What IS that?" (pause.) "Oh! Oh, MY. Uhh... can I have more?"

"This is some good slop!"

The last time I made this, it occurred to me that it would work just as well with any number of pudding-and-cookie flavors.

Variations:

Oreo cookies and chocolate pudding

Sugar wafers and lemon pudding

Butter cookies, vanilla pudding and strawberry slices

If you bring this dessert to your next family function, just know that you're not coming home with leftovers. Enjoy.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.