How to Make Banana Wafers

Chiquita first imported bananas to the U.S. in 1870. In 1973, they introduced the first refrigerated container ships to deliver the fruit from Central and South America to Texas for distribution in the U.S. Today every American consumes about 30 pounds of bananas annually. This delicious recipe celebrates the flavor of bananas and is the perfect beginning to a batch of banana pudding.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Unsalted butter
• Shortening
• Large egg
• Milk
• Banana flavoring
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Baking powder
• All purpose flour

1. Blend the butter and shortening in a cup. Use the rest to grease the cookies sheets.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Assemble all the ingredients and equipment. Coat two cookie sheets with the butter/shortening mixture.
3. Take the butter/shortening and put it in a mixing bowl and cream together until fluffy. Add the sugar and mix well. Crack the egg into a small bow and beat slightly with a fork and add it. Pour in the milk and blend well. Put in vanilla and banana flavorings.
4. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the liquid mixture. Use an electric mixer on low to blend the ingredients to a smooth batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
5. Sprinkle flour on a work surface. Put about 1/4 of the chilled dough on the work surface and sprinkle it with flour. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Keep the unused door in the fridge.
6. Cut small rounds with a cookie cutter or the top of a small glass dipped in flour. Place the cookies on the butter cookie sheet about 1/4" apart.
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges of the cookies just start to brown. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Tips & Warnings

• For a special treat, take two banana wafers and spread peanut butter between them to make a sandwich cookie. Dip it halfway into melted chocolate and let dry on a wire rack.