My best friend from college, Susan, and her two daughters (who are my goddaughters) are coming to visit tonight for a few hours.. so being the good hostess that I like to think I am, I asked the girls what treat they would like. Lyndsey picked frosted chocolate chip banana cookies. These are nice, soft cookies that smell INCREDIBLE as they bake. and let’s face it, frosting, just makes everything better.

* One kind cool thing I learned for this recipe – how to quickly ripen a banana. you bake it at 170 degrees in 8 minute intervals until the skin turns really really brown and softens the banana. my husband wasn’t sure what i had done when he saw the banana on the countertop to cool off 🙂

a few tips – remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount, chill the mounds of dough for a few hours to prevent them from spreading too much, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so that it cycles to the right temperature.

• Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 ripe banana, smooooshed (see * above on how to quickly ripen a banana)
• 1 yolk (makes cookies soft)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips (i used mini ones in these cookies)

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Blend in banana, yolk and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Flour your hands (trust me on this). Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and roll into balls. Chill in fridge a few hours. preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. line a sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper and stagger cookies. bake 12 to 14 minutes (likely browned on bottom. do not overbake or cookies will be dry). remove from tray after 10 minutes. Cool completely.

• Frosting ingredients
• 2 tbs butter, melted
• powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• milk

Directions – place butter in a bowl, add a cup or two of powdered sugar. mix in vanilla. Add enough milk to get the consistency you want. Frost cookies. store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with peace and joy. Remember to be kind. Your kind gesture, no matter how small, may be what someone needs in their life at that moment.