banana cookies.

Here we go again- yet another week where I bought more bananas than I could possibly digest. For a long while, I never seemed to be buying enough of them; now I always seem to have piles turning a nasty shade of brown up in my hanging fruit basket. So yet again, I am left with the choice to either throw them out or bake something with them- of course, I chose the latter.

I don't know why, but there is something that just sounds so nice about banana cookies. I picture them being gobbled up by kids on picnics to the park or written about in old children's books. Perhaps I am just silly like that.

Anyways, these cookies are quite delicious. They remind me a lot of banana nut muffin tops, only a bit chewier and less crumbly. They have a rich natural banana flavor and cake-like texture- Believe me, I think you're going to like 'em.



Banana Cookies: recipe from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.