It's a Winner

We love bananas, but we're not always good about eating them before they turn brown. So, I'm always on the lookout for good banana recipes. I found one I'm pleased with, and I'm happy to share it. I found the original recipe at Simply Recipes, but here it is, just in case you're too lazy to take yourself over there.

This recipe is for cookies. I'm sure you could place the dough in a sheet pan and make it into bar cookies. The banana flavor isn't overwhelming and the cookie is light and airy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (or softened in the microwave)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup chocolate chips (walnuts or pecans or whatever else you might think of)  

Steps:

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; add the egg and beat until the mixture is again light and fluffy.
2 In another small bowl, mix the bananas and baking soda. Let sit for about 2 minutes. (This is to help the acid in the banana react with the soda to make bubbles, which will lift the cookies.)
3 Pour the banana mixture into the butter mixture and stir. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture. Then, mix until just combined.
4 Fold into the batter the chips. Drop in spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.