Jan

Banana Ginger Breakfast Cookies

by Amber on January 31, 2011

It happens to the best of us, with the best of intentions: black bananas. Some weeks James and I go through a bunch of bananas in record time. Other weeks, we’re left with 3 or 4 getting well past their prime. I don’t know about you, but there’s only so much banana bread I can bake! That’s where these Banana Ginger cookies come in.

I saw them ages and ages ago on my friend Annie’s blog, With Sprinkles On Top, but the stars never seemed to align with going-bad-bananas, fresh ginger, and me having time to bake all at the same time. Last night, I had the bananas, I had the time, but fresh ginger could not be had, even after a trip to two different grocery stores. I decided then and there that I wouldn’t be stopped, and instead used powdered ginger. It works.

In addition to those two beautiful flavors, the cookies are covered in a cream cheese glaze that just smooths everything out perfectly. My thanks to Jen and Jamie for the idea on the cream cheese glaze.

They’re wonderful cookies. Great to have for dessert or breakfast. They’re not over-the-top sweet, nor are they over-the-top bad for you.

I’m really okay saying two of these for breakfast is just about perfect with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Banana Ginger Breakfast Cookies

adapted from Annie and Val’s recipe on With Sprinkles on Top
makes about 2 dozen

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
2 overripe bananas
2 c. flour
1 c. oats (regular ol’ Quaker is what I used)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. ground ginger (feel free to knock this back some – my husband LOVES ginger)
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a medium sized bowl, combine, flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Whisk together so all ingredients are evenly distributed.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar, butter, and shortening. Add in eggs and bananas, beating until well combined. Add the dry ingredients in increments, using the lowest setting on your mixer, or do so by hand.

Using an ice cream scoop, place rounds of dough on to an ungreased cookie sheet at least 1″ apart. Bake 18-20 minutes, until the bottoms look slightly golden brown and the tops look set. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to fully cool before glazing.

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 oz cream cheese
1/2 c. powdered (icing) sugar
5 tbsp. half and half or milk

Begin by creaming the cream cheese with your mixer until it’s nice and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar and cream together until again fluffy. Add half and half or milk one tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. I wanted my glaze a little thicker, so stopped at 5 tbsp. You can add more or less depending on how thick you think you’d like it.

To finish, I dusted the tops of the cookies with a little cinnamon sugar mixture I have on hand, but that is completely optional. I think it looks prettier, but it doesn’t significantly enhance the cookie flavor.