BANANA CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES

Banana Cream Sandwich Cookies image

People go bananas for these! These rich little sandwiches are a nice change of pace on a Christmas platter, and they ship well, too. -Elaine Owens, Dubuque, Iowa

Provided by Taste of Home

Time 50m

Yield about 2-1/2 dozen.

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 medium banana, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts
FROSTING:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk

Steps:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in banana and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in peanuts. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a small bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and enough milk to reach spreading consistency. Drop a heaping teaspoon in the center of half of the cookies; press remaining cookies on top to spread frosting., To Make Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days in advance. Wrap in plastic and place in a resealable bag. Store in the refrigerator., Freeze option: Freeze plain cookies in freezer containers. To use, thaw in covered containers and prepare as directed.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 186 calories, Fat 9g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 17mg cholesterol, Sodium 87mg sodium, Carbohydrate 26g carbohydrate (18g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 2g protein.