Cooking
Page 54 in the old book / page 88 in the new book
Another "rock" this week, which means another big, soft, chunky cookie. These cookies are called Banana Rocks, but there's a whole lot more going on... raisins, dates, prunes, walnuts, lemon zest, oats, and spices. Given that roster of ingredients, I guess it's not too surprising that you can barely taste the banana.
Then again, I may have been partly to blame for the rather subdued banana flavor in these cookies. I didn't plan ahead, and so had no ripe bananas on hand. The bananas I used were perfect for eating - sweet, but still slightly firm - but probably were not ideal for baking.
The glaze on these cookies, as with the Pumpkin Rocks, is applied as soon as the cookies are removed from the oven. It dries completely and interestingly, unlike the glaze on the Pumpkin Rocks, it stays dry even after the cookies have been stored for a couple of days. This glaze is simply a buttery sweet icing, with no lemon juice or other flavorings.
I liked these cookies very much, but not as well as the Pumpkin Rocks. I had one on the day they were made and another two days later. Initially the lemon flavor stood out, but it seemed to fade a bit after a couple of days, allowing the banana flavor to come through a little more. If you like a busy cookie with lots of "stuff" in it, you'll love these.
Banana Rocks got mixed reviews from the panel...
Suzanne: "The best part of this cookie was the icing and walnuts. The cookie looked like a "Banana Rock" but was soft inside. The prunes and dates were okay, but I still picked out the raisins. Rating - 3"
Denny: "Banana Rocks Rule! Even though they're not chocolate, I'll give them my first 5! Excellent, big chunky and flavorful. Couldn't taste too much banana but that was overwhelmed by the walnuts, raisins, prunes, and dates. Rating - 5"
Laura: Laura ate a cookie, but because of a sinus infection couldn't taste it, so she decided to bow out of the judging this week.
Phil: "Just looking at this cookie makes one pause to examine it more closely and wonder what's in store. A sort of fruit cake of a cookie with no noticeable trace of banana. While I liked all the ingredients, and as usual mine was cooked to perfection, the combining of these ingredients seemed more like a recipe created by a committee. Rating - 3.2"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.7
Next week - Date-Nut Rocks
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Connecticut Date Slices
Page 250 in the old book / page 270 in the new book Though not the most photogenic of cookies, these date slices more than make up for their looks with a warm, spicy flavor that is complemented by sweet dates and raisins. Surprisingly, there are no nuts...
- My Favorite Drop Cookies
Chocolate Banana Cookies didn't make my list of favorites, but this is my favorite cookie photo so far 39 different cookies. It's quite possible that I've tried more cookie recipes in the past 10 months than in all the time prior to that....
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Pumpkin Rocks
Page 53 in the old book / page 86 in the new book This is actually a cookie that I had made once before. The cookies are called rocks because of their shape rather than their texture. They are very good - sort of like a mini pumpkin muffin loaded with...
- Mondays With Maida - Hawaiian Pineapple Cookies
Page 52 in the old book / page 85 in the new book My mom used to make a pineapple and coconut cookie that I always loved. When I saw the name of this week's cookie, I had visions of a Maida Heatter version of my mom's cookie. However, with an...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Banana Rocks
Page 54 in the old book / page 88 in the new book
Another "rock" this week, which means another big, soft, chunky cookie. These cookies are called Banana Rocks, but there's a whole lot more going on... raisins, dates, prunes, walnuts, lemon zest, oats, and spices. Given that roster of ingredients, I guess it's not too surprising that you can barely taste the banana.
Then again, I may have been partly to blame for the rather subdued banana flavor in these cookies. I didn't plan ahead, and so had no ripe bananas on hand. The bananas I used were perfect for eating - sweet, but still slightly firm - but probably were not ideal for baking.
The glaze on these cookies, as with the Pumpkin Rocks, is applied as soon as the cookies are removed from the oven. It dries completely and interestingly, unlike the glaze on the Pumpkin Rocks, it stays dry even after the cookies have been stored for a couple of days. This glaze is simply a buttery sweet icing, with no lemon juice or other flavorings.
I liked these cookies very much, but not as well as the Pumpkin Rocks. I had one on the day they were made and another two days later. Initially the lemon flavor stood out, but it seemed to fade a bit after a couple of days, allowing the banana flavor to come through a little more. If you like a busy cookie with lots of "stuff" in it, you'll love these.
Banana Rocks got mixed reviews from the panel...
Suzanne: "The best part of this cookie was the icing and walnuts. The cookie looked like a "Banana Rock" but was soft inside. The prunes and dates were okay, but I still picked out the raisins. Rating - 3"
Denny: "Banana Rocks Rule! Even though they're not chocolate, I'll give them my first 5! Excellent, big chunky and flavorful. Couldn't taste too much banana but that was overwhelmed by the walnuts, raisins, prunes, and dates. Rating - 5"
Laura: Laura ate a cookie, but because of a sinus infection couldn't taste it, so she decided to bow out of the judging this week.
Phil: "Just looking at this cookie makes one pause to examine it more closely and wonder what's in store. A sort of fruit cake of a cookie with no noticeable trace of banana. While I liked all the ingredients, and as usual mine was cooked to perfection, the combining of these ingredients seemed more like a recipe created by a committee. Rating - 3.2"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.7
Next week - Date-Nut Rocks
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Connecticut Date Slices
Page 250 in the old book / page 270 in the new book Though not the most photogenic of cookies, these date slices more than make up for their looks with a warm, spicy flavor that is complemented by sweet dates and raisins. Surprisingly, there are no nuts...
- My Favorite Drop Cookies
Chocolate Banana Cookies didn't make my list of favorites, but this is my favorite cookie photo so far 39 different cookies. It's quite possible that I've tried more cookie recipes in the past 10 months than in all the time prior to that....
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Pumpkin Rocks
Page 53 in the old book / page 86 in the new book This is actually a cookie that I had made once before. The cookies are called rocks because of their shape rather than their texture. They are very good - sort of like a mini pumpkin muffin loaded with...
- Mondays With Maida - Hawaiian Pineapple Cookies
Page 52 in the old book / page 85 in the new book My mom used to make a pineapple and coconut cookie that I always loved. When I saw the name of this week's cookie, I had visions of a Maida Heatter version of my mom's cookie. However, with an...