Dessert – From Lorian's Kitchen

I love bananas, but you know how the story goes: you buy them green on Saturday, and somehow, by Thursday, they’ve gone from perfectly ripe to “what am I supposed to do with these?“

These cookies are my weekly answer to over-ripe bananas! Sure, you can freeze them for smoothies (and I do that, too), but why not turn those spotty bananas into something everyone will be begging for?

These cookies are incredibly easy to make, delicious, and the perfect way to use up bananas that have seen better days. In fact, I recommend making a small batch—otherwise, they have a funny way of disappearing!

P.S. They’re also a great recipe for kids to help make. Just be prepared for them to ask when you’re making the next batch!

Note: I have only made these vegan and gluten free, but I don’t see why you couldn’t experiment with wheat flour and butter. Let me know how it turns out if you do.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes

Servings: 2 banana = 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 ripe BANANAs, mashed
1/2 cup Vegan BUTTER (1 Earth Balance Soy Free stick), melted
1 cup SUGAR
2 cups gluten-free ALL PURPOSE BAKING MIX (King Arthur) with xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon BAKING SODA
1/2 tsp SALT
OPTIONALS:
1/4 cup
Vegan MINI SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (Enjoy LIfe)
or Gluten Free Nutty Granola
or Walnuts
Parchment PAPER

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F
COVER 1 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or silicone mat)
MASH the bananas, then add melted butter and sugar until blended (I use masher then wooden spoon).
ADD the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt
ADD any optional ingredients like nuts or chips
DROP the batter onto the parchment covered baking sheets in evenly spaced slightly rounded teaspoons of goop (for bigger cookies use a tablespoon instead)
Slightly FLATTEN the batter globs if you can, they do spread a little.
BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes. They will look undercooked and should be golden on the edges. They will be soft.
COOL on cookie sheets for a few minutes and then plate
To get them evenly round, I use my little biscuit cutters before they cool on the tray to much.
You can FORK the top of each one for a pretty look.
STORE them in an airtight container for up to 1 week

Banana Bread Cookies Cooling

Make them round with biscuit cutters before moving to cooling racks.

Ingredients

4 large EGGS
4-5 very ripe BANANAS, mashed
1 cup SUGAR
4 ounces natural APPLESAUCE
1/3 cup high quality VEGETABLE OIL
1 teaspoon VANILLA
2 cups GLUTEN-FREE ALL-PURPOSE BAKING FLOUR
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
1/4 teaspoon SALT
OPTION Pairings:
1/2 cup DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIPS
1/2 cup WALNUTS, chopped/smashed
or
1/2 cup RAISINS
1/2 cup FLAX SEED
1/2 cup ALMONDS, chopped

Directions

PRE-HEAT oven to 350 degrees F

COAT two 9X5 loaf pans with cooking spray

In a large bowl, BEAT the eggs and add the bananas and MASH together (or you can mash the bananas before this step, but I don’t like to dirty too many bowls)

ADD the sugar, oil, vanilla, and applesauce and mix together well

In medium bowl, BLEND together the flour, salt, and baking soda

ADD the dry ingredients into the banana mash and with a big spoon or spatula MIX until all the dry ingredients are combined. Banana lump are fine, don’t over mix.

FOLD IN any mix-ins at this point

TRANSFER the batter into the loaf pans and SPRINKLE the top of each loaf with the nuts

BAKE for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the loaf comes out clean

COOL in the pans for 10 minutes and then REMOVE from pans and cool on a wire rack for another 20 minutes

NOTE: Try peeling your bananas from the bottom up, instead of the stem down, for easy, no mess peeling, especially when over ripe.

STORE in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 2 days, then refrigerate. This bread freezes well for up to 6 months. Slice it frozen and toast it in the toaster oven.