Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter
Peanut Butter Banana Cookies – Lord Almighty, these decadent Elvis “Burning Love” Cookies are sure to get your temperatures rising!
There’s nothing that sets my heart on fire, to the point of breaking out into spontaneous song, like homemade cookies. Seriously. Soft chewy cookies, with big chunks of goodness, are inspiring…
Their nibbles lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
They light my morning sky
With burning love
See? Elvis gets in.
“Burning Love” Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
You’ve probably heard of Elvis Presley’s famous sandwich combination…. Peanut butter, banana, and bacon.
This combination crossed my mind one day, while I was recipe testing to the beat of an oldies playlist on Spotify.
I wondered, what other recipes might benefit from a little P-B-B action… French toast? Dessert pizza? Then it hit me. Cookies were the definitive answer.
Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter… And Bacon?
Right then and there I dropped what I was doing, and started rummaging around the kitchen for bananas, bacon, and peanut butter.
My first attempt at these Elvis “Burning Love” Cookies was made with a peanut butter cookie dough. They were tasty, yet I felt that the peanut butter overshadowed the other ingredients, so they weren’t equally matched.
More bacon, more banana, less peanut butter.
My second round of Elvis “Burning Love” Cookies was a winner.
I used a standard chunk-style cookie dough (like chocolate chip cookie dough, minus the chocolate) then added in peanut butter baking morsels, freshly cooked thick-cut bacon, and fresh ripe bananas.
These cookies were soft and flexible with big chunks, and a better balance of flavors.
How To Make Banana Cookies
The trick to making perfect Elvis “Burning Love” Cookies is to mix a dough that is a little dryer than most cookie doughs.
Then mix in the peanut butter morsels, and the bacon bits, with a little bit of the leftover bacon grease. This provides crispy bacon in each bite and a light bacon essence to the dough.
Finally, gently mix in freshly diced bananas, taking care not to smash the pieces.
The bananas will soften the dough as you mix them in, which is a good thing, but you still want to retain as many chunks as possible.
The bananas bake into light fruit-filled pockets, adding a pillowy texture to each bite!
Elvis “Burning Love” Cookies are my new favorite cookie for spring. They are fun to make, and even more fun to share with friends!
Sneakily, serve them without a name or explanation. Then watch eyes light up in surprise from these dazzling chunk, a chunk of burning love treats!
Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 5 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
- 10 ounces peanut butter morsels
- 1 1/4 cups fresh diced bananas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces into the skillet and separate with a wooden spoon. Cook the bacon until red and crispy, then turn off the heat. Remove the bacon from the grease with a slotted spoon, but do not drain on a paper towel. (A little grease will keep the bacon bits moist.)
- Place the softened butter and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high to the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on low and beat in the eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add in the flour until just combined. The dough should look a little stiff. (It softens when you add the bananas.)
- Add the cooled bacon and peanut butter morsels to the dough. It’s ok if a little bacon grease drips into the dough. Beat until the bacon and peanut butter morsels are evenly distributed. Then gently mix in the bananas, trying not to smash all the pieces. Do not over-mix.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the cookies evenly and place them on the cookie sheets, two inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, taking them out of the oven when the edges look golden, but the centers still looks slightly underbaked. Cool on the cookie sheets for at least 5 minutes before moving.
Just made these.. they taste really good and moist. Cooked them for 14 min. Came out perfect. I added chocolate chips also because I was craving chocolate. Definitely will make these again, especially when I need to use up my ripe bananas!
How many days ahead of my event can I make these cookies? Do they store well?
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Yum!
Hello, I’m getting ready to make your recipe. I watched the video and you only put in 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) and the recipe calls for 1 cup butter which I assume would be 2 sticks of butter.
Which is correct?
Hi Dixie,
Sorry about the confusion! We have a videographer make our videos, so it’s a mistake. Go with the official recipe.
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