Peanut Butter Banana Cookie Sandwiches

When I eat bananas I like them bright yellow, with a little bit of green even. As soon as they start to ripen, even just a smidge, I can’t eat them anymore. They’re ruined. And so when that happens, I just let them fully ripen on the counter and so that I can turn them into something. Whether it’s banana bread, muffins or even banana pudding, I’ll do anything not to eat them or throw them away. Sometimes I’ll even peel, slice and freeze them in an airtight container and I’ll use them in smoothies throughout the week. This time around, I didn’t get around to eating my bananas fast enough and so unfortunately two of them got away from me. But maybe it was a good thing because I was able to make these Peanut Butter Banana Cookie Sandwiches with them. Crispy peanut butter cookies sandwiched with a delicious banana buttercream. You’ll want to eat the buttercream by the spoonful, trust me. It’s good on cakes, muffins, bars and of course cookie sandwiches! This just so happens to be a great weekend baking recipe and I think you should give it a try this weekend. Hint hint. 

Let’s make the peanut butter cookies. These are crispier rather than fluffy and soft. I think crispy is best for this type of cookie sandwich, plus the moisture from the buttercream will soften them up slightly. In a small bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and the brown sugar until creamy.

**Note: It’s important for the butter to be at room temperature so that it creams properly. If you forgot to take it out before hand, you can nuke it in the microwave in very small short bursts on defrost (so low low low power) so soften it.**

Stir in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. 

**Tip: This isn’t the time to use fancy fresh organic peanut butter. You want the regular processed stuff here. It just holds better. Also, you want creamy because chunky will prevent the mixture from creaming properly.**

Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 1 hour. This will make the dough easier to shape.

**Note: If you make this overnight, you want to let it sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes before shaping as it’ll probably be too cold to shape!**

Shape into 1-inch balls and roll around in the remaining granulated sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Use a fork to lightly press the cookies down and create a criss cross pattern.

**Note: We’re not looking to completely flatten them down. Just press the fork down lightly because if you flatten the dough balls too much, the cookies will spread out too much.**

Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Continue baking off the cookies until the dough is all used up.

**Tip: Because these are cookie sandwiches you want to make sure the cookies are all the same size so that they align perfectly with one another. I like to use a small cookie scooper to ensure they’re all the same size!**

To make the banana buttercream, beat the butter on medium speed just to get it going. Add in the mashed banana, vanilla and salt and mix until well combined.

**Tip: Make sure the banana is super ripe because it’ll blend in nicely into the buttercream. If your bananas are bright yellow, you can bake them in a 250°F oven until soft and pitch black. The low and slow cooking will bring out the sugars and ripen them. Just allow to cool completely before using in the frosting.**

Add the sugar, a cup at a time, and beat on high until thick and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag with a plain circle tip.

**Note: You can frost the cookies by hand if you don’t have a piping bag or you can use a large plastic food storage bag with the end snipped off!**

Once the cookies have cooled, pipe out frosting on half of them and then sandwich together with the remaining cookies. Allow to set about 10 minutes before eating, either in the fridge or at room temperature.

If you really want to be EXTRA decadent, you could dip the cookies into melted chocolate and roll around in chopped nuts. It’s completely unnecessary but it wouldn’t be the worst idea. 

Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also keep them in fridge if you’re worried about the buttercream, just allow them to come to room temperature before eating.

The buttercream is super sweet and the cookies are a bit salty because of the peanut butter, so together the sweet and saltiness is what really makes these cookies shine. Of course, it’s the classic peanut butter and banana combo that helps as well!

I hope you give these cookies a try this weekend. I purposely shared it today, instead of earlier in the week, because I felt like this would be a great weekend recipe to try. It’s not complicated in the slightest, but rather, it’s the type of recipe you make when you can relax and take your time. Let me know your thoughts or questions below. As always stay safe out there my friends. 

Peanut Butter Banana Cookie Sandwiches

These Peanut Butter Banana Cookie Sandwiches are the perfect decadent end-of-the-week treat to make when you're craving something sweet!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Cookies:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Banana Buttercream:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana about 1 medium or 2 small
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the brown sugar until creamy. Stir in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
• Shape into 1-inch balls and roll around in the remaining granulated sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Use a fork to press the cookies down lightly and create a criss cross pattern. Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Continue baking off the cookies until the dough is all used up.
• To make the banana buttercream, beat the butter on medium speed just to get it going. Add in the mashed banana, vanilla and salt and mix until well combined. Add the sugar, a cup at a time, and beat on high until thick and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag with a plain circle tip.
• Once the cookies have cooled, pipe out frosting on half of them and then sandwich together with the remaining cookies. Allow to set about 10 minutes before eating, either in the fridge or at room temperature. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite