So this was the first recipe in out of grandma's recipe boxes. I had some bananas about to go funky, so I figured they would be perfect all mashed up into a cookie. The recipes seemed simple enough and I figured that with the spices and maybe some pecans or chocolate it would be a perfectly delectable cookies.I did however discover something that would hinder me. Grandma's knowledge of the recipe. The card had no indication of the heat or time for baking. "Well... fuck." That being the first thought to enter my head, I figured to just wing it, as what other choice did I have? I decided on 350F (everything bakes at that temp. it seems) and would watch them like a hawk for the baking time.
I also split the batch into three mixtures - plain, with pecans, with chocolate. All three were fantastic, though I think I prefer them with the pecans for no other reason then I like the crunch they give. The cookies themselves were nice, soft, and a bit cakey. I expected them to taste like banana bread or muffins, but to my surprise they tasted nothing like them; just a delicious spiced cookie flavored with fresh banana.
All and all, delicious and a cookie recipe that's sure to be a steadfast favorite in this house.
Grandma Capune's Banana CookiesMakes about 30 cookies / 350F
What You'll Need...
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed 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
(optional) 1 cup of pecans or walnuts or chocolate chips (or mix and match)
What You'll Do...
1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until well mixed.
2) Mix the mashed bananas and baking soda in a bowl and let sit for 2 minutes to froth a bit, this will give the cookies their rise.
3) Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Combine the flour, salt, and spices and mix into the butter and banana mixture until just combined.
4) Fold in the pecans. Drop into dollops onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.
31 comments:
I love finding old recipes that you know must've been good. All you have to do is wipe the dust off of them. I will definitely be trying these in the future.
Oooh, thanks for posting this. I need a new cookie in my arsenal and I have bananas going south (and I can only eat so much banana bread!).
I have the same problem with some of my grandmothers' and great-grandmothers' recipes. Some were concocted before ovens had even temperatures. Others show measurements in price! (use 3 cents worth of sugar) They're fun to read but I can't think of any way to accurately figure out how much that is. :(
Happy new year!
Oh wow, do you know how long I've been looking for a banana cookie recipe?? I have tried converting banana bread in the past to cookies and it was a horrible mess! Thank you for sharing this with us!
I can so relate to having Grandma recipes lacking in the specifics that many of us have come to depend on. I really don't think my grandmother even used recipes -- a list of ingredients was about all she needed. When I would ask her about amounts, her response was along the lines of "Oh, a little bit of this or that, you know, as much as is needed." She cooked entirely by feel, but mere mortals like myself need the boring details, so thanks for including them here. I can't wait to try these cookies!
Scouring the 'net for a good ripe banana recipe....and FOUND IT!
will make these tomorrow with the kids.
xo, jaden
so looking forward to hearing about all these grandma recipes!
Hmmmm...I have some bananas that are about to turn to mush as well. And I love, love, love that you're going through your grandmother's recipe box--how cool is that? There's nothing like an old recipe card to make you feel close to the ones you love.
When I first started dating my husband he made me banana cookies.
I love figuring out old recipes. My mom has a habit of making just a list of ingredients. So most of my recipes I have to wing the mixing as well as the cooking.
The part of the recipe you can see says shortening, not butter.
Are you changing these family recipes?
Old recipes are a treasure! Happy New Year Garret!
Donna - In this case yes. I never have shortening on hand.
banana cookies, devoured.
we loved them!
Those look good. I've got about a dozen bananas going bad. I may have to try those.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe Garrett!! They were a big hit. I made the dough with pecans and half way through baking added chocolate chips. We are hard pressed to choose which we liked better.
I love old recipes, if I can actually recreate them that is :). I have a collection of my late Grandmother's that an Aunt had made into a little book. I was so excited to have her wonderful Bread Pudding recipe I had always adored. When I looked it up, this is what I found. "Break up bread. Beat up an egg, add vanilla, salt, sugar and cinnamon, some raisins. Pour warm milk. Bake for about an hour in a 325 oven" I guess this will be one for memory only. But every time I see it I can't help but smile :)
I have a bunch of bananas happily getting incredibly overripe on the kitchen counter. I'd planned to finally make some Yip Yap Banana Snaps for the dogs (how can you not want to make something called Yip Yap Banana Snaps?), but I've just rethought that decision. This recipe sounds wonderful, and, well, sometimes cookies for people just have to come first! ; )
Yum. Rosie's Bakery Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled Butter-Rich No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book has a very similar recipe except that it tops each cookie with cream cheese frosting. I made them for the holidays and they were delectable.
Mmmm...banana anything...love vintage recipes!
These cookies are absolutely incredible. I made a triple batch last night and guarantee that my 6 daughters and hubby will make them only a memory by the end of today.
I now have two wonderful ways to use up old bananas - that don't involve banana bread. In addition to this one, Heidi's (101cookbooks.com) banana espresso muffins are to die for!
Thanks for the great recipe!
-Jenni
just made them for a party tomorrow--and they came out deliciously. Unique and sure to be a great hit. Thanks!
That looks fantastic. Awesome! I'm going to have to try this!
Dear Vanilla Garlic
New to your blog. A nice recipe worth trying.
I have always wanted a good recipe for cookies made with banana and these look too good to miss - I'll try them soon!
These were deLISH! : )
Just made a batch of these lovely cookies. Half of which had chocolate chips and the other just plain banana-ey goodness!
Will definitely make these again! Thanks for the recipe!
Going to try these today :D I have some perfect bananas and am ready to go, I will be posting pics and all on my blog later and of course will mention your blog, Carm
I love good old family recipes! (the reason I started food blogging myself)
These were wonderful cookies, I added in some chocolate chips. Even the Husband ate some! (that means the recipe's a keeper!)Thanks!
After an extreme hankering for something banana, I remembered your grandma's cookie recipe. My first batch is done and my question is, are these suppossed to be cookie-like or muffin top like. I'm not sure if I did something wrong....or RIGHT! They're totally hitting the spot, but I was thinking cookie..any suggestions?
I tried these yesterday and they came very well. for the flour - I used part whole spelt and part WW pastry flout 1:1 ratio and they were very soft!! DH and DD have been eating these cookies for breakfast!!!
Thank you for posting this recipe! It was a hit at home.
Really great cookies - almost cake-like and a great change from banana bread. Added rum and vanilla extract but probably didn't make enough difference that I can tell.
I just tried these. Yummy. I'm going to try a coconut variation next time.
I have hijacked this recipe and we love it so much we let bananas get old and soft on purpose so we can make more. Mods - add chocolate chips and nuts, 3/4 cup each; double the cinnamon and add 2 tsp vanilla extract to the batter. Holy Moly! I posted it on Facebook and my friends are raving.
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