Banana Spice Cookies
Banana Spice Cookies are incredibly superb. Really. Okay, you all know how much I love icing on my cookies, right? Icing makes everything better, and these delicious cookies get an extra boost by the Lemon Buttercream Frosting on top. Yes, sirree! These cookies are the real deal.
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I’m always looking for ways to use up bananas and this cookie recipe is one of my favorite ways to do that! I got the recipe in 1984 from Mimi Pownall, a great friend and recipe collector like me. She loved (and still loves) making desserts. When I typed up all her recipes on our “new” home computer that year, this was one of the recipes in that collection.
Every recipe I’ve gotten from Mimi has always turned out exceptionally well. And there sure have been a lot of them over the years. Her Potato Chip Cookies are divine. Her Chocaroons are to die for. Her Meltaway cookies just dissolve in your mouth effortlessly. Her Pumpkin Dessert is one of our favorite recipes to make around the holidays. Another delight is her Eclair Dessert and one of my personal faves is her Turtle Cake recipe. I could eat that all day long….and have! 🙂
Mimi doesn’t just make desserts either. Her Chicken and Yellow Rice and Escalloped Tomatoes are recipes I’ve made frequently. I’ve made her Greek Tomato Salad countless times and spun off several favorite recipes from it too. We have always enjoyed her Swiss Steak, and I can eat a whole batch of her Homemade Crescent Rolls any time day or night. Yes, I love Mimi’s recipes and I think you’ll enjoy this one particularly.
Banana Spice Cookies are special. It’s the icing. It just blows these cookies away! If you’re looking for a spectacular cookie for company or friends, but also have all those bananas you need to use up anyway, give these delectable cookies a try. They’re perfect for holiday summer fun like Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day parties. They’re also great to take to potlucks, backyard barbecues and office or tailgating parties.
No matter where you take them, everyone will want one, or two…..
Banana Spice Cookies are amazing. The icing is spectacular.
These cookies are the perfect treat for holidays, especially if you’re entertaining or having a cook out.
Every bite of Banana Spice Cookies will have you coming back for more!
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients for the cookies. I used ground cloves NOT nutmeg as pictured.
Place shortening in a mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, mashed bananas, eggs, cinnamon, cloves, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods. Add finely diced pecans.
Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Scoop dough with a one-quarter cup scoop and place on large cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Because the cookies seemed a little gooey, I put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes so they wouldn’t sink too much while baking.
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until done. Cool completely before removing to wire rack and icing cookies. (If you want your cookies flatter, then don’t freeze before baking).
I used these ingredients for the frosting, plus water.
Cream butter with an electric mixer. Add half of the powdered sugar, all of the lemon peel, lemon juice and water and cream again with mixer. Add remaining powdered sugar until frosting is of smooth and spreadable consistency.
Spread frosting over top of cookies. Add additional lemon zest if desired.
Allow the icing to set a few minutes before digging in!
Banana Spice Cookies are a great treat for tailgating parties.
They’re also perfect for school parties, backyard barbecues or potlucks.
The Lemon Buttercream Frosting makes these cookies special.
Here’s the recipe.
BANANA SPICE COOKIES
(Recipe adapted from Mimi Pownall, Black Mountain, NC)
Banana Spice Cookies
Equipment
- 2 18x26" cookie sheet pans
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 electric mixer
- 2 wooden spoons
- 1 lemon zester or grater
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 nut chopper if the nuts are not previously chopped
- 1 1/4 cup cookie scoop
- 1 spatula
- 2 wire cooling racks
Ingredients
COOKIES:
- 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2)
- 2 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
LEMON BUTTER FROSTING:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1/2 tsp. lemon peel grated
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
COOKIES:
- Mix shortening, brown sugar, eggs, banana, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add flour and pecans and fold into mixture until well mixed.
- With a ¼ cup cookie scoop, drop dough onto greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Freeze dough about 5-10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 375°.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until done.
- Rotate cookie sheets on oven racks every six to seven minutes of baking time.
- Cool completely.
- Frost with Lemon Buttercream Frosting.
- Sprinkle iced cookies with additional lemon zest, if desired.
LEMON BUTTER FROSTING:
- Cream butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer.
- Add half of the powdered sugar; stir in lemon juice, peel and water.
- Add remaining powdered sugar.
- Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
- Ice cooled cookies with frosting.
- Sprinkle additional lemon zest on top of each cookie, if desired.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
The lemon in the frosting and cinnamon and cloves in the cookies add irresistible flavor.
If you need to use up a batch of overripe bananas, this is the way to do it!
Start drooling! 🙂
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting
Banana Chocolate Chunk Snack Bars
Banana Spice Cookies
Equipment
- 2 18×26" cookie sheet pans
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 electric mixer
- 2 wooden spoons
- 1 lemon zester or grater
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 nut chopper if the nuts are not previously chopped
- 1 1/4 cup cookie scoop
- 1 spatula
- 2 wire cooling racks
Ingredients
COOKIES:
- 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2)
- 2 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
LEMON BUTTER FROSTING:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1/2 tsp. lemon peel grated
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
COOKIES:
- Mix shortening, brown sugar, eggs, banana, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add flour and pecans and fold into mixture until well mixed.
- With a ¼ cup cookie scoop, drop dough onto greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Freeze dough about 5-10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 375°.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until done.
- Rotate cookie sheets on oven racks every six to seven minutes of baking time.
- Cool completely.
- Frost with Lemon Buttercream Frosting.
- Sprinkle iced cookies with additional lemon zest, if desired.
LEMON BUTTER FROSTING:
- Cream butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer.
- Add half of the powdered sugar; stir in lemon juice, peel and water.
- Add remaining powdered sugar.
- Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
- Ice cooled cookies with frosting.
- Sprinkle additional lemon zest on top of each cookie, if desired.