Banana Cookies

On my mission to translate and re-shoot photographs of this blogs most popular recipes, these fluffy banana cookies had to be amongst the first to remake.
They have been on the blog since March 2013 and they are always in the Top 10 recipes my readers use. Honestly, I don't wonder why. They might not look as pretty as any other cookie here, but boy do they taste good!
When you have ripe bananas at hand, make these cookies. They are crunchy on the outside, with a cake-like texture in every bite, filled with aromas from the spices used, and lots of banana flavour.



They could be little bites of banana cupcake, but in a cookie. They could be banana cream pudding, but in a cookie. I am done describing, you have to taste them for yourself to know what I am talking about!
The recipe originally calls for nuts but I hadn't used them in their original version. They do suit them really well and add a different element to their texture, but the downside is they add a little time in the needed preparation, since I love my nuts roasted beforehand in any dessert. You can omit them for a more simple version.
They are best eaten the first day they are made texture-wise, but the flavours are more intense the next days. I like to paste them with nut butters and make little fluffy sandwiches that I dip in milk or tea. Heavenly!
This recipe makes about 4 dozens of them.

      INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Cups all purpose flour-256 grams
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp apple pie spice
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter- 125 grams in room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar-200 grams
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence or 1 sachet
• 2 ripe bananas 
• optionally, 1/2 cup walnuts or any other nut you like-peanuts, cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts
• cinnamon to sprinkle

      METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. If you are using nuts, place them on a baking tray and brown in the oven for 8 minutes. After that, grind them coarsely using a food processor.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and apple pie spice.
4. Place the sugar and butter in your mixer bowl and mix in medium speed for around 5 minutes, until the mixture is whiter and fluffier.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well incorporated. 
6. Mush the bananas using a food processor. Add the flour mix, nuts (if using them) and bananas to the egg mix in the mixer, and blend until everything is just incorporated. Do not over mix!
7. Using two teaspoons, drop full teaspoon sized balls on your baking sheets leaving a 2cm distance between them. 
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges will look darker in colour, but the cookies will still be white. 
9. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cinnamon immediately. Let them cool for a few minutes, and transfer them with a spatula to a cooling rack. 
10. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.