Banana Sandwich Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

I’m starting to think cookies may be one of my love languages (right alongside true crime podcasts, subscription boxes, and dry shampoo!). They’re one of the most simple recipes to make, but the more I bake, the more I’m finding their one of the most fun recipes to change up and reimagine in new ways.

I originally reimagined a basic spice cookie as these Chai-Spiced Honey Cookies (and, oh my goodness, they are heavenly), but apparently I couldn’t stop there. I literally dreamed about myself taking those chai cookies and turning them into a sandwich cookie with a creamy filling.

And thus, these Banana Sandwich Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling were born. I’ve never been happier to make my dreams come true!

Banana Sandwich Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling – the Ingredients

There’s a fairly lengthy list of ingredients for these banana sandwich cookies, but most of them are ones you probably have laying around your pantry and fridge.

For the cookies, you’ll need: a stick of butter, an egg, honey, 2 bananas, vanilla, allspice, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and flour. I used half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour for the cookies, and they were plenty soft and chewy. But you can definitely use just all-purpose flour; you can also use just whole wheat flour, but they may be a little bit tougher/chewier.

For the maple cream cheese filling, you’ll only need a few things: powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese and maple syrup. Make sure you use pure maple syrup, not imitation. The imitation syrup is not going to give you the deep, complex, rich flavor of pure maple syrup. Luckily, you can find the real stuff in most grocery stores now.

Making the Banana Sandwich Cookies

On a plate or cutting board, use a fork to mash your bananas.

Cream your butter, sugar and honey together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. It should take about 2 minutes.

Add the bananas to the mixing bowl and combine. Then measure your vanilla and crack in the egg. Mix all wet ingredients on low until well combined.

Now you’re ready for the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the cinnamon, allspice and baking soda over the top of the wet ingredients. Add the flour in 1 cup increments: mix in 1 cup, then measure the 2nd cup. For the last cup, add 1/2 a cup to the batter. if the dough is still really sticky, add the other half cup. You may not need all 3 cups; it depends on how big your bananas were and how much moisture they added.

Refrigerate the dough at least 15 minutes; this will make it easier to scoop and help the cookies keep their shape while baking.

Baking the Banana Sandwich Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (aluminum foil will also do the trick if you don’t have parchment).

Retrieve the cookie dough from the fridge. Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto the baking sheet, spaced 1-2 inches apart.

Press down on the tops of the balls lightly, flattening them just slightly.

Bake the cookies for 9-11, until the cookies start to brown and look just set. Remove baking sheet from oven and let cookies cool for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. Letting them cool on the baking sheet will let them finish setting.

Making the Maple Cream Cheese Filling

While the cookies are cooling, make the maple cream cheese filling. This part is definitely the easy part.

Combine 1 (8 oz) package of full fat cream cheese and 1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and light in color. Pour in 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup and mix well.

Sift your powdered sugar. Add it to your cream cheese mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring to combine in between. Stop adding powdered sugar when your filling is thickened to your liking.

Putting Together the Banana Sandwich Cookies

Put an icing tip into an icing bag (or a ziploc bag with the tip cut off). Fill the bag with the cream cheese filling.

Pair the sandwich cookies. Match the shapes together as best you can.

Turn one cookie in each pair upside down. Squeeze maple filling onto the cookie in a circular motion (see image). Place second cookie on top of filled cookie and press down slightly to help stick.

Let cookies set at least 30 minutes before serving for best quality. The filling may squish out if eaten immediately.

Keep cookies in the refrigerator until serving, as the filling contains cream cheese.

Questions/Tips/Tricks

• What if the bananas aren’t ripe? Microwave the peeled bananas for 15-30 seconds to help ripen and soften them before mashing.
• Why only full-fat cream cheese? When you’re making an icing or filling, the full fat cream cheese has a better consistency and texture, and the flavor is richer.
• Can I double the recipe? You should not double a baked-goods recipe, because the spices and baking powder aren’t a double-able component; they wouldn’t need to be completely doubled even if you double everything else. If you want to double the recipe, I recommend making 2 batches, one at a time. 

Banana Sandwich Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Lisa Bonny

Two spicy-sweet banana cookies sandwich a rich, dreamy maple cream cheese filling to make the perfect sandwich cookie.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients

  

For the cookies:

• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1/2 c. butter softened
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• 2 1/2 - 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

For the maple cream cheese filling:

• 1/2 c. 1 stick butter, softened
• 8 oz. full-fat cream cheese softened
• 1/2 c. pure maple syrup NOT imitation
• 3-4 c. powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make cookies:

•  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and honey until smooth and light in color (about 2 minutes).
• Mash bananas with a fork. Add bananas, egg and vanilla to mixer and mix to combine.
• Sprinkle baking soda, cinnamon and allspice over wet ingredients and mix briefly.
• Add flour, 1 cup at a time (or, really: 1 cup, 1 cup, 1/2 cup). Mix thoroughly in between. After 2 1/2 cups, check dough. If it's too sticky, add remaining 1/2 cup.
• Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes to make dough easier to scoop.
• Use a cookie scoop to place balls of dough on cookie sheet, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Press down gently on tops of dough to help spread.
• Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and look fairly set.
• Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.

To make filling:

•  Cream butter and cream cheese in mixer until well combined, 1-2 minutes.
• Pour in maple syrup and mix on low until combined. Taste to make sure it has enough maple taste. Add more syrup if necessary (more syrup will mean more powdered sugar is needed).
• Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly in between, until filling reaches desired consistency.
• Refrigerate until ready to use. 15 minutes before using, set out on counter.
• When ready to use, add icing tip to ziploc bag or icing bag and fill bag with maple filling.

To fill cookies:

•  Separate cookies into pairs. Match up similarly sized/shaped cookies as best as possible.
• Turn one cookie in each pair upside down. Squeeze filling from bag onto cookie in a circular motion.
• Top with other cookie.
• Let set before serving.
• Refrigerate cookies when not serving, as the filling contains cream cheese.

Notes

If your bananas are not ripe, peel them and microwave for 15-30 seconds to ripen and soften them. 

Keyword banana, cookie, cookies, cream cheese frosting, maple cream cheese

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