Banana? Versatile? Who Knew?

Like earlier this month, I found myself with a few overripe bananas. Last time my son and I made Banana-Strawberry Muffins.

I never seem to have much luck with banana bread, and I didn't want to make muffins again. A quick Google search turned up this recipe for banana cookies. And determining I had all the ingredients on hand, my son and I set about making these cookies.

These cookies were everything they were promised to be and more. The aroma filled the house with a wonderful, warm scent, courtesy of the ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Golden brown out the outside, they have cake-like texture on the inside, something you just can't get from cookies bought at the supermarket. And it's that cake-like texture that made me think the cookies would be great for whoopie or moon pies (or whatever you call them).

The original recipe says it makes 30 cookies. It also says to drop dollops of the dough on your cookie sheet. Now, I don't know what they consider a dollop, but I used my 1" ice cream scoop, and I got 4 dozen cookies.

But you know what they say: The more the merrier!

Banana Cookies

Recipe from Simply Recipes
Makes 30 - 48 cookies

Ingredients:

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

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 mixture is light and fluffy.
2. 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.
3. Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and shift into butter and banana mixture, and mix until just combined.
4. Fold into the batter the nuts and/or chocolate chips if using. Drop dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown.
5. Let cool on wire racks.