Going Bananas

I desparately need to clean out both my refrigerator's freezer and my deep freeze. I've purchased several things on sale that I was not intending to use right away and now my freezers are a mess. So the other day, while I was unpacking my groceries, I decided I could temporarily make everything fit by taking out the overripe bananas that were stuck in there. (I just stick them in, peel and all, until I'm ready to use them.) Anyway, that meant I needed to use them in something. Usually it's banana bread but to be honest I'm not a real big banana bread fan. So I started looking for something else to try. I had enough to make two different things so I decide on Black Bottom Banana Bars and Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich Cookies. Especially with the soccer boys, it's nice to have something sweet in the freezer that I can pull out in a pinch.

The results? I really liked the little sample I took from the bars. The chocolate was great when combined with a very mild banana flavor. I haven't frosted them yet since frosting doesn't always freeze well but when I do, I think I'll make a chocolate frosting/glaze for them. The sandwich cookies were soft and a good combination between banana bread and sugar cookie. Again, since I'm planning to freeze them, I did not frost them. I put a dab of peanut butter on top so I could get the effect. When I do get them out to use, I'm just going to make a quickie peanut butter frosting and dab some on the tops and not do the whole sandwich cookie deal. I also used less butter than the recipe (about 3 T. less). Other reviews said the cookies spread out too much so I refrigerated my dough for an hour or so before I baked them. (Cookies with high butter content often need time for the butter to resolidify before baking.) I had no problems with my cookies spreading too much.