Glazed Banana Cookies

Glazed Banana Cookies! Out of this world! I love a soft cookie that has a light glaze on them. I love this recipe because it is a great way to use up over ripe bananas and it makes a bunch of cookies. These are great for parties, potlucks, holiday cookie plates...or just for no special reason! (These also taste good without the glaze but since I have a sweet tooth...I usually add the glaze on them!) I used to make these cookies when my kids were young...then I misplaced the recipe and forget about them until recently when I was re-organizing my kitchen cupboards. Recipe found! So I converted it to gluten free!

The glaze recipe is my own recipe. I combined my favorite brown butter glaze with some cream cheese for these little delightful cookies. I didn't want a traditional cream cheese frosting for these...too heavy but the brown butter glaze was a little too sweet. So I added some cream cheese and PERFECT! It is sweet but still has the tangy flavor of cream cheese. These are like eating little mini banana cakes. YUMMY!

Banana Cookie Recipe:

• 3 medium size over ripe bananas (peels should have black spots on them but bananas should not be mushy)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar (I used raw sugar but regular granulated sugar is fine too)
• 2 cups gluten free flour mix (if you do not have a gluten allergy then just use regular flour. I have included the recipe for my GF flour below but you can use a store bought GF flour blend).
• 1 cup finely ground nuts (I used almonds today because that is what I had on hand. If you don't have any nuts or have a nut allergy then just use additional 1 cup of gluten free flour mix instead).
• 1 cup Crisco (if using a generic then make sure it is not whipped because it contains too much water! You can substitute real butter or margarine that contains 65% or more fat)
• 1/2 cup milk (you can substitute almond milk, coconut milk or any milk substitute)
• 1 tbs. white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum or guar gum (only if your GF flour does not already contain it. Omit if using regular flour!)

Stir the vinegar into milk. Mash bananas. Mix in Crisco (or butter/margarine), sugar and eggs. Beat until smooth and creamy. Mix in the milk/vinegar mixture alternately with flour. Add baking soda, salt and xanthan gum or guar gum and nuts. Dough will not be thick. It will have a brownie batter type consistency. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. (I used a cookie scoop - looks like a mini ice cream scooper). Do not flatten. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden. (Individual oven temperatures vary slightly and altitude can vary baking times. You may need to adjust slightly after the first batch). Cool slightly before applying glaze.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 1 stick real butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt the butter, brown sugar and cream cheese on stove top in a large saucepan or small stock pot until completely melted and starts to boil. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. It should be a glaze (it will not be thick like frosting). Spoon onto cookies while glaze is warm. Let cool completely before storing cookies in a container with waxed paper between each layer. You can garnish with chopped nuts if desired.

My Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1 cup white rice flour 
• 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour (made from sticky rice, gluten free)
• 1 cup potato starch (not flour)
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk, make sure it is very fine in texture
• 1 cup corn starch or tapioca starch (I used tapioca starch for this batch)
• 3 tbs. xanthan gum

Combine all ingredients together well. You can put it in the blender for an extra smooth texture if desired. I store mine in a glass container and use it in place of regular flour in all my recipes. This particular blend I really like for baked sweet goods. 

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do! Sometimes I think it is good to go back to the old fashioned, simple recipes without a lot of fancy ingredients. Very casual... but everyone loves them! By the way...the glaze recipe also tastes good on other soft cookie recipes and pound cake!

Enjoy your day!
Tanja
Gluten Free Casually