The things you do out of necessity. I bought some plantains last week. I was thinking tostones or cooked with salt fish and habanero peppers (will definitely do this, just not today). But alas, I waited too long (although I think that was more a psychological barrier in my mind, they were beautifully blackening and tender in spots). So, I used it as an excuse to bake my one of my favorite things – cookies. This is a Plantain and Peanut Butter Cookie with my changes from the Oprah site.
Plantains are a member of the banana family – according to www.micfood.com – the Musa genus. Is it good for you? Yes actually! A half cup of cooked plantains packs almost 4 grams of resistant starch – a healthy carb that boosts metabolism and burns fat. They are good sources of magnesium, potassium, vitamin A and K (well of course I looked this up on the web). All I know is that they are great when cooked in a variety of ways from snacks like chips (which are so much healthier when you make them yourself at home – super easy, next blog), to side dishes, mains and of course desserts. I have made a plantain cake on this site before as well.
Plantain skin is thicker than banana skin so you can’t just peel it back. You need to cut the ends off and then carefully slice through the skin with a tip of a knife without cutting through the plantain. Then peel back the skin. Plantains are sweetest and ripest when almost entirely black. They can be used at various stages of ripeness depending on the recipe. For this one, I needed a ripe plantain – see the pics below.
I also wanted to avoid using white sugar so used maple sugar and brown sugar. The result was a not too sweet soft cookie – my favorite kind. I did top some with a chunk of chocolate and some additional maple sugar when they come out of the oven – completely optional. There is a mild taste of plantain in every bite so clearly you can also do this with bananas. Other than that, this is a straightforward cookie recipe. I did add some salted peanuts as well to complement and enforce the peanut butter in the cookie. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to scoop onto a parchment lined baking tray.
I like this cookie, comes together beautifully well. You also don’t need a mixer, I did the creaming by hand – felt good to beat something up. Actually, since that famous Saturday, I haven’t had that urge to beat up anything! 🙂 These are soft cookies, no crunch to the edges so please refrigerate if they last more than 2 days. Make these cookies, using a purple handled scoop, I got about 26 cookies, enough to last through the next blog. So until next time, wash your hands, wear a mask, socialize according to your local guidelines and above all, stay safe! As always – enjoy!
Ingredients
1 ripe plantain, almost all black but still a bit firm
½ cup butter – salted or unsalted, softened
¼ cup maple or coconut sugar (or white sugar)
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter, natural or unsweetened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup peanuts, preferably salted or
Substitutions
No plantains, try bananas
Allergic to nuts – try WOW butter – read the label, and use another substitute like dry roasted soy beans or something else you are familiar with for crunch
Do try this with coconut sugar – available in most grocery stores
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt – set aside
Peel the plantain and mash in a small bowl – the riper the plantain the easier this will be
In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugars until well blended
Add the peanut butter, mashed plantain, egg and vanilla and stir to combine – use a whisk or spatula
Add the flour mixture to the plantain mixture and stir to combine
Add the peanuts and mix well
Place in the fridge for about 1 hour (or more) to set
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350f and line 2 baking sheets with parchment
Using a purple handled scoop, portion out the dough onto a cookie sheet (use a tablespoon or eyeball it – just cookies folks)
Flatten slightly – they will spread slightly so leave about 2” of space between the cookies
Bake for a total of 12 to 13 minutes – I always rotate my cookie trays at 8 minutes and then finish off the baking process
These are soft cookies so when you test to see if they are done, use a spatula/butter knife to lift up the cookie, if it lifts up without breaking, it is ready to come out of the oven – if not, keep it in for another minute or so
If adding the chocolate chunk and maple sugar, place a piece of chocolate on top of the cookie after it comes out of the oven, the residual heat will melt the chocolate and then it will set
