Bacon Banana Cookies

Name: Bacon Banana Cookies
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2.5 cup sifted all-purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 0.25 tsp baking soda; 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp kosher salt; 0.5 cup unsalted butter; 1.25 cup sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 4 bananas, mashed; 0.5 lb bacon; 1 cooked crisp; 1 chopped

From the kitchen of Carly

Crispy bacon meets soft banana in these cinnamon-spiced cookies that somehow work better than they have any right to. Sweet, salty, chewy centers with a cinnamon-sugar crust. The kind of unexpected flavor combo that becomes instantly addictive.

Bacon and banana might sound odd until you taste the salty crunch against soft banana cake. These cookies split the difference between a cookie and a quick bread, with crispy bacon folded right into the batter. The cinnamon-sugar crust adds a burnished finish that makes you want to eat them warm, but they keep for a week, so no excuses.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

2 1/2 cupsifted all-purpose flour
2 tspbaking powder
1/4 tspbaking soda
1 1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/4 tspkosher salt
1/2 cupunsalted butter
1 1/4 cupsugar
2 largeeggs
1 tspvanilla extract
4bananas, mashed
1/2 lbbacon
1cooked crisp
1chopped

Instructions

Set the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt together into a large mixing bowl.
Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar in a medium bowl until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next, then beat in the vanilla. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine, then fold in the mashed bananas and beat well. Finish by folding in the chopped bacon.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until evenly mixed.
Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the mounds about 1 inch apart. Scatter the cinnamon-sugar generously over the tops, then bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. Let the cookies cool completely before transferring to an airtight container, where they will keep for 5 to 7 days.

Tips from the kitchen

Cook your bacon until it's properly crisp and then chop it small, almost like bacon dust, so it distributes evenly through the dough and delivers salt in every bite.
Don't overmix after you add the bananas or you'll toughen the cookies. Fold gently and accept some slight streaks of banana in the dough.
If your bananas are on the wet side, let the mashed banana sit in a fine-mesh strainer for a few minutes to drain excess liquid before mixing in.

Variations

Brown butter bacon cookies: Toast your butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it browns and smells nutty, then cool slightly before creaming with sugar for a deeper flavor.
Maple bacon banana cookies: Swap 1/4 cup of the sugar for maple syrup and use it when creaming the butter, then skip the cinnamon-sugar topping and sprinkle with fleur de sel instead.
Pecan bacon banana cookies: Fold in 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans along with the bacon for more crunch and nutty warmth.

Make ahead and storage

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. They don't freeze well since the banana makes them prone to sogginess, so eat them fresh.