banana cream double dates

When my friend Carole Emanuel tried these soft cookie sandwiches, she said they had an old-fashioned cookie flavor, like those made by a grandmother. That describes them perfectly, right down to the cinnamon cream cheese filling.

makes 8 cookie sandwiches cookie making 25 minutes cookie baking 350 degrees, two baking sheets for about 15 minutes each

cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 ripe bananas, peeled

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (about 4½ ounces) pitted dates, cut into ½- to ¼-inch pieces

cinnamon cream cheese filling

(see lemon cream cheese filling, substituting 1½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon for the lemon juice and zest)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

MAKE THE COOKIES. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Break the bananas into about 1-inch pieces. Add the banana pieces and mix until just a few small pieces remain. The mixture will look curdled. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth again. Mix in the dates.

Drop heaping tablespoons (about 3 level tablespoons each) of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Use a small spatula to smooth the edges and tops, spreading them slightly to about ¾ inch thick.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. The cookie tops should not brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Turn half of the cookies bottom side up. Use a thin metal spatula to spread a rounded tablespoon of filling over each one. Gently press the flat bottoms of the remaining cookies on top of the filling.

Wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve cold. The wrapped cookies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.