Caribbean Muffin Top Banana Cookies

These were so good, I couldn’t even get a photograph of the cookies without taking a bite.

I mean REALLY and REALLY good.joyed

Awhile back, I adapted a recipe from Mary over at ONE PERFECT BITE…

I read the recipe for Hawaiian Banana Bread and knew I was going to make it. You all know Mary, she publishes daily, but better than just volume, ONE PERFECT BITE has amazing quality.  I have said it before… Of all the bloggers I read, Mary is most ready for the book deal.  Would be the easiest edit job the publisher ever tackled.
Sure enough… 


Muffins instead of bread was made, eaten and enjoyed.  

We eat a lot of bananas around here.  One of the bad things about paradise is that the bananas go bad after only 3-4 days.  The good news about paradise is that bananas go bad after only 3-4 days.  Meaning I could make a dirty banana drink (rum of course).  But now, I am saving up bad bananas to make these.

And now that I am making cookies, well, there isn’t a rotten banana safe on the island.

As to why a cookie instead of the muffins?  Come on, admit it; The muffin top is the best part of a muffin.  Just ask Seinfeld.

But before I get to the recipe…

Chris, and all the fabulous bloggers from Tennessee were on my mind when I was making these muffin top cookies.  I now have 2 verses and a chorus for my new soon to be hit song…

Good Old Muffin Tops…
Muffin Tops Tennessee!

I have got to get back to my Kansas Kitchen where running these through a Kitchenaid will keep my mind from wandering…

But I digress… here’s what I did, still basically Mary’s recipe… With a few additions…

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 shot Cointreau (an Orange Liquor)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 mashed ripe bananas (just a bit less than a packed cup)

1/2 cup drained of juice, finely diced pineapple
3 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup Sun Maid brand TROPICAL TRIO 
I am going to take a break from the recipe for a moment to talk about Sun Maid TROPICAL TRIO.  I found this in the raisin section of the store.  I am hoping that it is not just an island thing, and is available stateside.  This is a terrific product.  All natural, diced up pieces of Pineapple, Papaya and mango.  They are dried, but still sweet and moist. They are perfect to cook with.  I am using them in recipes in place of raisins.  I am also measuring carefully, hoping that there are a couple of TBS left over so i can eat them like candy.  I did check the ingredients carefully.  I can pronounce all the ingredients, no high fructose corn syrup or the like added.  I can not recommend this product more, especially if you think raisins are a mistake.  Nothing but dried up useless grapes…

But I digress…

the Directions are pretty easy…

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. prepare a jelly roll pan with parchment paper

2) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In another large bowl, cream butter with sugars with an electric mixer. When mixture is light and fluffy beat in rum, eggs, one at a time, zest, banana, pineapple, TROPICAL TRIO and sour cream. Add flour mixture, beating batter until it is just combined. Stir in walnuts and coconut.
3) I put 2 rounded tsp of batter in cookie shape. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from pans. Complete cooling on racks. Yield: 36 cookies. 

Look at the TROPICAL TRIO in the batter…
And think about all the fruit in the recipe… Why, it’s almost healthy!

Even my buddy the puffer fish wouldn’t find these cookies too fattening…



Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

 … I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!

Min

Yum! I’ll have to look around for Tropical Trio. But I live in the middle of nowhere, so if I can’t find it, it doesn’t really mean anything for anyone else…