Banana Cookies with Pecans and Warm Spices Recipe
These Banana Cookies are a moist and flavorful treat, combining ripe mashed bananas with warm spices and crunchy pecans. Perfectly soft with a slight crisp on the edges, these cookies make a great snack or dessert, offering a delightful twist on classic cookies with natural banana sweetness and aromatic cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: About 24 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas)
Dry Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Mix-ins
- 1 cup chopped pecans (walnuts or chocolate chips are fine alternatives)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the proper temperature while preparing the cookie dough.
- Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat together the room temperature butter and sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until well combined and airy.
- Mix the banana and baking soda: In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the baking soda. Let this mixture sit for 2 minutes so the baking soda can react with the banana’s acidity, which will help the cookies rise.
- Combine the banana and butter mixtures: Pour the banana mixture into the creamed butter and sugar. The mixture may curdle due to the moisture in bananas, but don’t worry—this is normal and will resolve once dry ingredients are added.
- Whisk the dry ingredients, then add to the batter: In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg (or mace), and cloves. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet banana-butter mixture, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- Add the mix-ins: Gently fold in the chopped pecans, or walnuts or chocolate chips, if using, ensuring even distribution without overmixing the batter.
- Drop the dough and bake the cookies: Using a spoon, drop dollops of cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges.
- Cool before serving: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on wire racks to firm up before enjoying.
Notes
- Using ripe bananas is key to getting the best flavor and natural sweetness.
- Allow the banana and baking soda mixture to sit for 2 minutes to ensure proper leavening.
- The batter may look curdled after mixing wet ingredients but will turn out perfectly once dry ingredients are added.
- You can substitute pecans with walnuts or chocolate chips according to preference.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.