We’re coming to the end of these 12 Days of Cookies and maybe you’re running out of steam. Just a little? Well, here’s a really easy recipe and a homey one at that. Banana Walnut Bars. They’re like banana bread crossed with a cookie and couldn’t be better.
Into that base butter cookie dough goes a banana, obviously, but also some oats, a little brown sugar and chunky walnuts. Press the dough into a pan (your choice of two sizes), sprinkle it with a little nutmeg spiced sugar for a crunchy, sweet topping and into the oven. The house will smell like you’ve been baking all day and the cookies are fantastic with a glass of milk. You don’t really need much more. The best part? They’re a bar cookie so you can make a bunch of cookies with a minimal amount of effort. Perfect when you’re running low on effort.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: WARM SQUARES OF COMFORT. These really are like banana bread cookies. Soft, tender, a little crumbly with a nice banana flavor. Because they’re baked in a pan, in one bake you’ll have at least several dozen bars in no time. Winner winner.
2016 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Butter Rum Bars, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Coconut Lime Sticks, Cranberry Pistacho Coins, Dark Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Hazelnut Buttons, Jam Thumbprints, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Pecan Triangles, Peppermint Crisps, Rosemary Apricot Shortbread, Russian Tea Cakes
2017 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup to date:
Basic Butter Cookie Dough + planning tips
Day 1 – Cream Cheese Wreaths
Day 2 – Raspberry Linzer Bars
Day 3 – Lemon Poppyseed Buttons
Day 4 – Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers
Day 5 – Mexican Wedding Cookies
Day 6 – Orange Sandwich Cookies
Day 7 – Raspberry Chocolate Drops
Day 8 – Blueberry Lime Buttons
Day 9 – Cardamom Rose Coins
BANANA WALNUT BARS
Basic butter cookie dough – recipe here
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the desired pan with a criss-cross of aluminum foil. Spray the foil lightly with cooking spray.
- In a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature cookie dough, mashed banana, brown sugar, oats, baking soda and walnuts. (at this point the dough can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature before proceeding.)
- Press dough evenly into the prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle evenly on top of the cookie dough.
- Bake 25 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cut into squares or bars.
STRESSCAKE 
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