Banana Cream Pie Cookies

This recipe crafted by Functional Medicine Los Angeles has all the great flavors of banana cream pie in the form of a cookie. A sweet and comforting treat.

1. Prep time: ~10 minutes
2. Cook time: ~15 minutes
3. Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1. 1 stick + 2 T. butter, softened at room temperature, divided
2. 1/2 c. + 2 T. sugar
3. 5 1/2 T. cream cheese, room temperature, divided
4. 1 t. vanilla extract
5. 1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
6. 1/2 t. baking soda
7. 1/4 t. salt
8. 3 oz. package vanilla cook and serve pudding, cooked according to package directions
9. 2 bananas, one chopped, one thinly sliced.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line up 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream 1 stick of softened butter with the sugar and 2-1/2 tablespoons of cream cheese. Whisk until light and fluffy and stir in the vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined.
4. Divide the cookie dough into 12 portions and roll into balls. Place 6 portions onto each baking sheet and transfer into the oven to bake until golden brown around the edges and puffy, approximately 12-14 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
6. At functional medicine Glendale, we recommend stirring the remaining butter and cream cheese into the cooked pudding and mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
7. Once the pudding is cooled, stir in the chopped banana.
8. Spread a generous dollop of the banana pudding over each cookie and top with a few banana slices.
9. Enjoy! Follow functional medicine Encino for more recipes.