Banana Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Your kids will love these yummy banana sandwich cookies filled with peanut butter.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 large ripe bananas, pureed or mashed
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar - divided use
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling:
1 cup peanut butter (any style)

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a large bowl, beat in bananas, eggs and vanilla; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, soda and salt; set aside.
4. In another large bowl, beat together butter, shortening, 1 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Add the flour mixture and mix well. Stir this mixture into the banana mixture until well blended.
5. Drop cookie dough by heaping rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle mixture over cookies. Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.
7. Bake 9 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are set, and light brown around the edges (cookie tops will not brown). Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.
8. Spread bottoms of half the cookies with peanut butter; top with a second cookie (bottoms together).
9. Store cookies in a tightly covered container.

Makes 36 cookies.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/36 of recipe; 1 cookie): Calories: 172; Calories from Fat: 80g; Fat: 9g; Trans fats: 0.3g; Cholesterol: 17mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Protein: 3g; Fiber: 0.83; Sodium: 108mg.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of the National Peanut Board.