Last week my daughter needed to provide the snack for our Girl Scouts meeting. As parents, we take turns every week providing it. Per her request I whipped up a batch of banana chocolate chip cupcakes using a pre-boxed yellow cake mix. I added a few things to “amp” up the flavor which I’ll explain below.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
3 Over-Ripe Bananas, peeled and mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Follow the instructions of the box of yellow cake mix. The one that I used called for the addition of vegetable oil, eggs and a tablespoon of water. I used an electric hand mixer to beat everything together. Mash up the bananas and beat them into the cake batter until evenly distributed. Use a large spoon to stir in the Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips.

Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake wrappers.  Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full with the batter. Place into a preheated 350 degrees F oven and bake according to the box instructions. It took 15-17 minutes for the ones that I made. The center of each cupcake should bounce back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Tub of Cream Cheese Frosting
1-2 Tbsp. Milk

Scoop out all of the frosting from the plastic tub and place it into a large measuring cup or small bowl. Add 1-2 Tbsp. of milk. Stir together by hand or use a beater. The milk helps the frosting to become fluffier and more easy to spread. I always add 1 tbsp. mix together and if needed add a second one. My grandmother taught me this trick when using store bought frosting.

Once the cupcakes are cool spread the frosting over each one. Store them in an airtight container.

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My grandchildren’s favorite ice cream topping is my homemade hot fudge sauce. I have to admit, it’s one of my favorite’s too. What’s great about this recipe is that it’s easy-to-make and it tastes 100% better than the stuff you buy at the grocery store in a jar. At least that’s my honest opinion and I’m sticking to it.

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Before I get to the recipe I want to introduce you to Selefina, the spice shop through Adagio Teas. Selefina sells your classic spices like parsley and oregano…along with chili powder, crystallized ginger root, Cacao nibs, and everything in between. You can purchase samples sizes, regular sizes, refills, and empty spice jars if you need those! High quality, fresh spices and seasonings shipped straight to your door.

For this recipe I used Selefina Cacao Powder. I love using this fine chocolate powder in my recipes. No clumps and it adds the perfect amount of flavor.

Easy Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe for Ice Cream

1 cup Selefina Cacao Powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 stick butter (not margarine)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt the butter in a saucespan over medium heat. Stir in the unsweetened cocoa powder and granulated sugar until combined. You need to stir the sauce frequently to keep it from sticking and scorching. Whisk-in the heavy cream. Continue stirring over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Everything thing needs to be melted and bubbly hot but not at a full boil. More like a simmer. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract until combined.

Serve the warm hot fudge sauce over your favorite ice cream using a spoon. If you want to store some for later pour into a container or clean glass jar. Let it cool on the counter-top and then refrigerate it. You can then reheat it in the microwave when you want to use it. I like storing it in a glass mason jar (jelly jar) which handles the heat from the microwave just fine! Just don’t put the metal lid inside the microwave one!

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