Brown Sugar Banana Cookies with Rye
/Thin and chewy brown sugar cookies filled with sweet banana and nutty rye flour and rolled in crunchy sugar.
I realize, as I am writing this blog post, that the past few new recipes over here have been very banana-centric. This was not planned, so I apologize for the banana overload, but when you’ve got good recipes, you share them regardless of the ingredient overlap. If you’re like me, you always have ripe bananas hanging out so you can never have too many banana baking options.
I started brainstorming this recipe a couple of weeks ago with a very specific cookie in mind. My favorite part of any loaf of banana bread is the sticky, caramelized top layer created after a loaf of banana bread hangs out for a day or so, but if you’re looking for a banana cookie recipe, most of them are very fluffy and cakey. I wanted a banana cookie that mimicked that dense, sticky banana bread vibe—thin, with crispy edges and a chewy middle, and friends, we got it.
how to make brown sugar banana cookies
I started this recipe by riffing on a Sarah Kieffer sugar cookie recipe. Sarah is the queen of “pan-banging cookies”, with their thin, ripply edges so of course I used one of her recipes as my base.
I added in banana (obviously) and went for 100% brown sugar for extra caramelization, plus I added some rye flour to add a nutty depth. (If you don’t have rye flour, you could sub in any whole grain flour you’d like—spelt, whole wheat, buckwheat, etc—or you could just replace the rye flour with more all purpose flour). The recipe also includes fresh vanilla bean flakes, and an egg yolk and molasses for added moisture. The results are perfect—crispy, crackly, sugar-flecked edges with gooey, brown sugar banana centers.
Brown Sugar Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) rye flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup [2 sticks | 227 g] unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup [350 g] dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon molasses
- 1 medium ripe banana, mashed (100 g)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1/2 cup [100 g] granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, rye flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine softened butter and brown sugar. Cream on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the molasses, ripe banana, egg yolk, and scraped vanilla bean and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes more, until mixture is well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until dough is smooth and no clumps remain. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Scoop the cookie dough into 2 oz balls and roll each ball in granulated sugar. Arrange on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving lots of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 8 minutes and then remove the cookie sheets from the oven and bang them on the counter 2-3 times to settle them down. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers are dry. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan.
Notes
If you'd like to chill the cookie dough, simply scoop the dough and arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 24 hours. Wait and roll the cookies in the sugar until just before baking. Keep an eye on them while baking, you may need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time for cold dough.
