Chewy Coconut Cookies & a Bonus Recipe

Hello everyone! Today's recipe is from a couple of weeks ago, but I completely forgot to add it until today. D'OH! Anyway, these were super easy to make, and although the mix of bananas, peanut butter, and coconut sounds odd, combined they are really quite delicious. I highly recommend this one if you have a banana (or two) that are going ripe, or if you want something with a bite. This one won't disappoint!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter-flavored shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking bowder

1 cup flaked coconut

1) Ina  alrge bowl, cream the shortening, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the banana and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder, gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in Coconut.

2) Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 F. for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks.

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BONUS RECIPE!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BAR COOKIES

recipe taken from Some Girls are Bigger than Others

First off, I must apologize because I have no pics of these cookies. 1) I totally forgot to pull out the camera and 2) by the time I remembered, they were long gone. I made these this past Friday, mostly because I had a huge craving for peanut butter and chocolate. I had been running errands ALL day, and I had yet to wrap my present for my friend's kid birthday, so a bar cookie seemed like the perfect choice. Holy crap you guys, they were sinfully delicious. They were super moist from the peanut butter, with just enough chocolate to make you go drool. So if you want an easy cookie that packs a flavorful punch, these bad boys will NOT let you down.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" baking pan & set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy & light. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until flour is just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

Turn out the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the center is set. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars and store at room temperature in an airtight container. 

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The only downside about these cookies was the cooking time. It took closer to 40 minutes than 20. But it could have been my oven too. Just be careful to keep an eye on them so they don't burn.