Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Drop cookies, made of dough that is casually shaped into a ball and dropped onto a cookie sheet, are not always the most attention-getting cookies. I think that they’re probably the most often made type of cookie, since they are very quick and easy when compared to cut-out cookies, but they don’t hold a candle to the cutouts when it comes to presentation. That being said, drop cookies are usually packed with lots of great flavors and I think that we’ve all learned to appreciate them, sometimes in spite of a plain outward appearance.

These Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies definitely fall into the plain-but-surprisingly-flavorful category. The have peanut butter, oats, and mashed banana in them. I actually was inspired to make them by the banana peanut butter I tried recently, so I put these together by mixing some into my Banana Oatmeal Cookies. The fact that I know the flavor combination is a good one in general didn’t hurt things, either.

The finished cookies looked like your basic oatmeal cookies, but tasted like a cross between a peanut butter cookie and banana bread. The banana flavor was good, but not overwhelming, and the peanut butter added a nice nuttiness to the whole thing. The cookies stayed moist, slightly chewy and fresh tasting for several days when stored in an airtight container, so these are a great option if you want to bake a batch over the weekend and keep it around during the week. I used smooth peanut butter for these cookies, but using crunchy would add a little bit more texture if that’s your peanut butter preference at home.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup mashed banana (from 1 sm/med)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter. Beat in egg until smooth, then mix in the peanut butter and mashed banana. Working by hand or with a mixer on low speed, blend dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture. Stir in the oats.
Shape dough into tablespoons and place on baking sheet, flattening each slightly with your fingers.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies just begin to turn golden around the edges.
Cool on a wire rack.

Makes approx 2 dozen.