Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips – (recipe and instructions follow) – One of my very favorite things to eat as a little girl was bananas with peanut butter smeared all over them. OK, that’s half of the truth….um, not that it was a lie. It’s just that bananas and peanut butter weren’t just a child time favorite I still love to eat them. I don’t know what it is about the flavor combination, but it’s so, so yummy. Here’s kind of a cute story. When I was little, I had a cookbook. It was one of those ”my first cookbooks” and had Humpty Dumpty on the front. It’s copyright is 1978, so that puts me right around the age of two when I got it. I used to cook out of it all the time and I really thought that I was awesome because I could follow the recipes (they had picture instructions). Wow, is it weird that I remember something that far back but often forget where I put my car keys. Anyway, I just think it’s cute now because when I look through that old cookbook (yes, I still have it (I’m going to pass it down to my daughters when they have babies) the recipes are so simple. Like I said, I really thought  I was making something special. Anyway, one of the recipes in there was bananas with peanut butter on them. They also had the option of using mayonnaise instead of peanut butter. I never tried that one and still probably won’t – well maybe just to try it. Sorry, I’m off track here. So, I was at the store the other day stocking up on my Christmas Cookie baking supplies and I saw this huge bag of Reese Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips. The front of the bag has a picture of a big  chocolate cookie with the peanut butter chips in it and I thought MMMMMMMMMM that sounds sooooo good. I’m a sucker for Reese cups, again, a childhood favorite. So I decided to get some. But then, as I was walking through the store, I was thinking about my site and all of you and I stated thinking “I bet everyone makes chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips with these”. And then I decided to be a little more original and try to give you something that isn’t all over the net already (which is what I always try to do). So then I started thinking, “what goes good with peanut butter besides chocolate”. And guess what sprang to mind. That’s right, bananas. And that is when my banana cookies with peanut butter chips were born – or at least the idea of them. So, when I got home, I sat down at my dining room table (while the babies were napping), and I wrote this recipe. When they woke up, we made them and…….they came out super duper amazing and yummy, in my humble opinion :). Enjoy everyone and happy cooking!

Ingredients dry ingredients
3 cups AP(all purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
Just as a side note, I like to use bananas that are super ripe. They should have lots of brown spots and smell like yummy sweet bananas. Just don’t let them get too ripe – yes, there is such a thing. I let mine sit to ripen for banana bread one time and kept waiting and waiting and they were all the way brown, then when I went to pick them up, I discovered that the one on the bottom was leaking some kind of syrup. I think I may have accidentally made a banana liquor on my counter top :D. Anyway, on with the recipe!

If you’re new to making cookies, I’d like to invite you to read my article and watch a short video “The Cookie Method – How to Properly Mix Your Dough :D! ”

Instructions
1. Bring all of your ingredients to room temperature. At least make sure that your butter is soft. This helps everything blend together better.
2. In a small bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt).
3. In a separate small bowl, mash your bananas. You don’t have to mash them into baby food, just mash them with a fork.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. (I don’t usually do it at the beginning of the recipe because then it just sits there wasting electricity and making the house too hot :).
5. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula making sure to get the bottom and the sides really well. No butter chunks left behind :D
6. Add the eggs into your creamed butter mixture and mix until well combined. If you happen to be doubling this, add the eggs two at a time and mix in between additions.
7. Add the vanilla and the mashed up banana and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, again, make sure to get the bottom and the sides.
8. Add in half of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Scrape the bowl. Add in the other half of your dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t over mix once you’ve added the dry ingredients. Over mixing causes your flour to develop gluten strands and makes your cookies tough.
9. Stir in the peanut butter chips. I also like to eat a few, they’re so good!
10. Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined sheet pan (cookie sheet). You can also use a Silpat if you have one or use cooking spray or butter. These don’t stick too bad.
11. Bake until they’re done. Mine took about 12 minutes at 350°F. They don’t really brown much on top (or shouldn’t), but the bottoms will brown, so watch the sides of the cookies for signs of browning.
12. Remove your delicious banana peanut butter chip cookies from the oven and let them set on the pan for about one minute.
13. Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool. Although they are really tasty warm, especially with a nice, tall glass of milk. Just be careful of the hot chips – I said warm, not fresh out of the oven still at 350° :)
14. Enjoy your awesome cookies, you deserve it!

Yield – about 40 cookies