Roasted banana brownie bites and a discussion on hard drives

I've noticed over the past few months that my desktop computer was getting slow. Really slow. Like so slow Brent could barely use it without losing his temper. Turns out, between my music, pictures, and all the other random items I'd collected, my hard drive was over 90% full. I don't think I need to tell you what this does to your computer's performance.

So I welcomed a new addition to my house...an external hard drive! After an entire day of figuring out how to remap my iTunes music, I now have all my precious pictures and music on this sweet little beauty. And I can now actually do something on my computer in five minutes instead of 20...bonus!! I've always fretted about what I would take with me into our 'frady hole (a.k.a. my closet) if the house was hit by a tornado. I would grab my purse, my old childhood teddy bear, my photo albums, my dogs, and now, my external hard drive!

Now onto the food...I've made this recipe twice (blame it on the third trimester). The first time I followed the Picky Palate's recipe exactly. They were super yummy, but mine turned out a little dry. I decided to reintroduced the vegetable oil the brownie mix called for. It definitely helped with the texture, but took it down a few notches in terms of healthiness, I know, but whatev.

Roasted Banana Brownie Bites

From: The Picky Palate

3 bananas cut into 1/2 inch coins

3 tbsp cold butter cut into pieces

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 box brownie mix (I suggest the devil's food)

1/4 cup water

3 eggs

(my version: however much vegetable oil the brownie mix calls for)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

On a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, place the banana coins, each topped with a piece of cold butter, and sprinkle it all with the brown sugar. Roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for about ten minutes.

Reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, stir until just combined the brownie mix, bananas, water, and eggs (and oil if you so choose). Scoop into mini muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. (keep an eye on them, mine cooked faster, but I think it's because my mini muffin tin is a little darker metal).

Using the microwave, melt the chocolate chips, stir until smooth, then add the heavy cream until glossy and smooth. Dip the brownie bites into the chocolate and enjoy!

(Confession, the second time I made these, I completely botched the frosting. I think my chocolate chips got too hot and started to separate. When I added the cream, the whole thing just turned to goo. I will not share any pictures of this mess with you).

I will share a picture of the yummy roasted bananas as they came out of the oven