Banana Bread Cookies

I love banana nut bread, so I decided to update my recipe, my first recipe for this cookie was about three years ago. However, I decided to drop the chocolate chips and add walnuts. I also increased the number of bananas, so this is a more moist cookie with a more banana taste.

Making cookies is the perfect solution to ripe bananas you want to use before they are unusable. I have a few other cookie recipes that use ripe bananas you might want to try: Banana Pecan Cookies with Carmel Sea Salt Chips or Glazed Walnut Cookies.

Why Ripe Banana

First, to add bananas to your cookie dough, they must be mashed. Ripe softer bananas are much easier to mash with a fork. Another point is when mixing the cookie dough with your mixer, the mashed bananas blend throughout the dough much easier.

I do not use the totally brown or what they call overripe bananas; it is a preference for me. However, you can certainly use the overripe bananas if that is what you have at home and want to use them up before they are no good.

I usually buy bananas with a bunch of brown spots on the outside peel. But I have been told that the overripe banana is at its sweetest during this stage. But I just can't seem to get past the brown outer peel.

Ingredients for Cookie Dough

Banana Cookies

• Butter
• White sugar
• Light brown sugar
• Eggs
• Pure vanilla extract
• Bananas, mashed
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Baking Power
• Ground cinnamon
• Salt
• Pure maple syrup
• Chopped walnuts 

Ingredients for Maple Frosting

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

• Butter unsalted - my brand has, mostly, been Land O Lakes.
• Cream cheese - I have always used Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
• Pure maple syrup - always use good pure maple syrup when baking these cookies. Don't be fooled by the name "natural" pure maple syrup; some can be light in color and very light in taste. Unfortunately, if they bottle their syrup in a bottle that you cannot see the syrup, it is hard to gauge. You might want to purchase a couple and see how they taste. My favorite brand is Escuminac from Canada. Here is a link to Amazon with all Escuminac varieties.
• Powdered sugar
• Chopped walnuts 

Making Banana Bread Cookies

Weigh or measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, whisking to blend.

Add the butter and sugars to a mixer bowl and blend for 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed. Then add the vanilla extract and pure maple syrup and mix. Add one egg at a time until mixed. Next, add the mashed bananas and combine.

Gradually add the flour mixture and mix for a minute at a low speed. Just mix until the flour mixture has been incorporated. I always try not to over-mix my flour. Finally, add the chopped walnut pieces and blend through the cookie dough.

Just note that this cookie dough is soft mainly because of the bananas, but this will give you a moist, flavorful banana cookie.

Line baking sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat over to 350°F (175°C or 180°C).

Use a medium cookie scooper and place 12 balls onto the cookie pan. They do spread a little so keep about 2" between scoops.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Once out of the oven, move them to a wire rack to cool and set.

Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before starting the frosting. It will not take long to mix this frosting.

How to Make Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Add the butter and cream cheese to the mixer bowl and blend for about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Next, add the pure maple syrup and powdered sugar and start at the lowest speed.

As the powdered sugar becomes incorporated into the butter, gradually turn the speed up to a medium-high setting and mix for 3 minutes.

Add as much as you like to your banana cookies with a knife or a frosting spreader.

After frosting the cookies, line them up on the wire rack, and place a piece of parchment paper under the wire rack.

Then grab chopped walnuts and sprinkle them on top of the frosting for a little crunch and walnut flavor.