Grandma Cordie’s Soft Banana Cookies

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How many of you out there love bananas?  I love them in my best friend Allen’s banana bread, in my moms banana pudding, Michaels Banana split pudding, and all alone.  Now most people like to get nice bright yellow bananas.  I like seeing these beauties laying in the fruit bowl in my kitchen, but when it comes to eating them that is a different story.

If I am going to peel a banana just to snack on I want it on the darkened side.  For those of you who think that an over ripe banana is only good to throw into some nut bread or cookies like these here, you are wrong.  The more over ripe the banana, the sweeter it is.

Now let me get back to these delicate banana cookies.  As y’all know, I collect and preserve my family’s recipes.  My only problem was when I was wanting recipes from my grandmother Cordie.  Till now, the only ones I had were for her corn bread and pinto beans.  Most everything else she cooked she just threw together and there were no written recipes.

Well on my last visit home my aunt Tina brought me her recipes to go through.  When I came upon a recipe card with ‘Soft Banana Cookies’ on it I stopped to inspect it.  I had never had banana cookies.  So when I asked her how they tasted, she said that’s mommy’s recipe and you used to eat them when you were little.   I did not remember them but I realized I now had one of grandma Cordie’s baking recipes.  I was like a kid at Christmas.

Y’all, these cookies are so light, soft and butter.  Well at least mine were because I chose to use butter, and I left out the nuts.  Tina said grandma would frost them with the butter cream frosting (recipe below) too, but I chose to leave it off for this first baking.  Y’all are going to love these, and I think they are going to a part of my monthly mandatory baked goods now too.  Don’t y’all just love family recipes?

• 1 cup shortening or butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup bananas, mashed
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and set aside.  Cream shortening/butter with sugars.  Add eggs, bananas and vanilla.

Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet about a cup at a time.  Once combined add nuts if you chose to use them.

Drop on cookie sheet with a small scoop or tablespoon size drops.

Bake at 325 degrees for 14-15 minutes.  Makes 4-4 1/2 dozen.

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3-4 tablespoons milk (1 T. at a time till right consistency)