Sweet Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 12 sandwich cookies

These are certainly a mouthful! There will be extra cinnamon sugar mixture, which can be used for cinnamon toast. The baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost and spread with filling before serving. Once filled, they must be refrigerated (for up to 3 days.)

ingredients

Peanut Butter Cookie

8 tbls. unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Banana Filling

2 1/2 oz. freeze-dried bananas
8 oz. cream cheese (do not use low-fat or fat-free)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

directions

1
For the cookies:
2
Preheat oven to 350. Have ready 2 ungreased baking sheets. Combine the butter, peanut butter, 1/2 c. of the white sugar and all of the brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or electric hand-held mixer. Beat on medium speed for several minutes until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, then add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
3
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt on a sheet of wax paper. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture; beat until just combined. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets.
4
Combine the remaining cup of white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spray the bottom of a drinking glass with non-stick cooking spray, then dip the bottom of the glass into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Use the sugared surface of the glass to flatten each cookie, dipping again into the cinnamon-sugar mixture for each one. You should make 24 cookies total.
5
Bake one sheet at a time for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies start to brown around the edges. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
6
While the cookies are cooling, make the filling: Place the dried banana pieces in the bowl of a food processor, process until finely ground. Stop to add the cream cheese and vanilla extract, then pulse to mix well; the filling will be thick and sticky.
7
To assemble: Turn 12 of the cooled cookies so that their flat (bottom) sides are facing up. Use a small offset spatula or rounded knife to spread the filling on the cookies. Top with the remaining 12 cookies, placing them bottom side down on the filling to create sandwich cookies.