Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies

I haven't posted a recipe in *forever*, but I have definitely been cooking and baking. Fall and winter are my very favorite times to be in the kitchen. There's just something so cozy and warm about it. It's just not quite the same heating up the kitchen with the oven during the summer.

Spending time in the kitchen is even more fun now with my little helper. Is it as easy? Definitely not since she grabs at everything...and sometimes manages to get something that we left too close. But it's certainly more fun. She intently watches every single thing I do and it's so cute. I hope she loves to bake with me someday!

Oops!

These brown butter banana bread cookies are one of my favorite things I've made lately. I love banana bread and these cookies add a fun little twist. Making anything in cookie form is more fun, right? The browned butter frosting drizzled on top definitely takes them to the next level. Browned butter takes everything to the next level, I think. In my opinion, these are the perfect excuse to have cookies for breakfast {umm, there are bananas in them!}, but they also would make a great afternoon treat and they're even yummy enough to have as a dessert!

Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies

Cookie Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 small bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Icing Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, swirl the skillet until the butter becomes a light caramel brown color, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately remove the skillet from the heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. {Click here for step by step photos of this process.}
2. Add the sugar to the brown butter and mix on low speed to start, then increase the speed and beat for one minute. (Mixture will not be light and fluffy.) Add in egg, and mix. Stir together mashed banana with baking soda and let sit for 2 minutes. Add mashed banana and vanilla to the bowl and mix.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing just until combined before adding the next batch.
4. Drop batter onto a parchment paper lined, or non-stick sprayed, baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the icing: Follow the directions for browning the butter in step 1 above. Whisk in powdered sugar, and drizzle icing over cooled cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

  

Pre-Christmas Memories 2013

How can it be December 23rd?!? This business of there being less than four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just NO GOOD. I feel like everything was so rushed this year. Anyway, we've still managed to squeeze in quite a bit of Christmas fun in these few short weeks.

Last weekend, some of the girls {and most of the boys stayed this year, too!} in my family got together for our annual cookie baking day. This is when we all go to my mom's house to bake and decorate {and eat} *tons* of Christmas cookies.

I'm pretty sure that in this picture I was laughing at Daniel's interpretation of a gingerbread man. Think red polka-dotted pants and purple puffy boots. Yes. :)

Christmas cards are another thing I love about the holidays. I decorated our mantle this year, so I had to come up with another place to display them. I printed out my "Joy" burlap banner, hung it on our pantry door, and added the Christmas cards as we got them. I love how it brings a little Christmas cheer into the kitchen. :)

Here's our Christmas card this year. I am already excited about adding cute baby pictures to our card for next year!

We also celebrated the five year anniversary of our first date last weekend. We went to this little Italian restaurant in Homewood called Gianmarco's. We went to a place called Leonardo's on our first date and went back for our first three anniversaries, but they closed a couple of years ago so we had to find a new anniversary spot. Gianmarco's is definitely our new place! It's small and family-owned, and the food is amazing {the SAUCE!!}.

One of our Christmas traditions is to buy a special ornament. I love remembering all the special moments when we decorate our tree every year. This year, we ordered this sweet "expecting a miracle" ornament from this Etsy shop. I just love it. I know it will make me smile {and knowing me, probably cry} every year!

Tonight, we're planning to cross another tradition off the list when we do our annual "Jammy Cocoa Christmas"! We've done this for a few years, but decided to call it "Jammy Cocoa Christmas" after reading this fun post over at Mix and Match Family. I mean, how cute is that name? I can't even imagine how much more fun this tradition will get in the next few years when we have a sweet baby with us!!

{via}

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with your families!!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

  

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies. Yum. That's all I have to say.

Just kidding, but seriously, they are really good cookies. I love these cookies because they have two of my favorite ingredients - peanut butter and chocolate, but also because they're perfectly soft and chewy. And the best part is, they STAY soft and chewy for a few days {if they last that long}. I have been known to make other cookies and eat one first thing every morning just to make sure they were still soft and chewy. The great thing about these cookies is that you don't have to do that! Wait. Maybe you should still do that with these cookies...just in case, because it's all about quality control, you know. Nobody wants a dried out cookie.

This cookie recipe is a little unconventional because it calls for sour cream and honey, but I'm telling you, it works. The original recipe also called for a sprinkle of sea salt on top. I've made them both ways, but we liked them a little better without the extra sea salt on top. Either way, though, you should definitely make them. :)

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Printer Friendly Version

1-1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, mix the softened butter and peanut butter together until thoroughly blended. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Next beat in the egg, honey, vanilla, and sour cream until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low speed, just until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour, or place in freezer for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Once ready to bake, roll dough into 1-inch balls (or use a small ice cream scoop) and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes (depends on size of your cookie) or until cookies begin to turn slightly golden brown and crisp up around the edges. Do not overbake!* Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

*Cookies may appear underdone in the middle, but they will become more firm as they cool. It’s important to allow them to cool a few minutes before removing them from cookie sheet.

Recipe slightly adapted from Ambitious Kitchen