I had two overripe bananas to use up earlier this week. I didn’t feel like making yet another loaf of bread or batch of muffins, and there’s still a slice of leftover banana cake in the fridge from the last time I baked. So I did a quick search for “banana cookies” online and found a recipe that sounded good. I tweaked it a bit, and the end result was so freaking good that I accidentally ate six cookies while they were still warm from the oven. I think I just found my new go-to recipe for overripe bananas.

Spiced Banana Chocolate-Chip Pecan Cookies
Based on Garret McCord’s Banana Cookies. Makes about 36 cookies.

NOTES: These are best fresh from the oven, so serve them that day if you can. I stored my leftover cookies in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers to prevent the cookies sticking to each other, and although they softened quite a bit they’re still delicious several days later. I imagine these cookies would make fantastic ice-cream sandwiches.*

• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg, room-temperature (place in a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes)
• 1 c. mashed ripe banana (approx. 2 large bananas)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole-wheat flour (or all-purpose, if you don’t have whole wheat)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp. table salt)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)
• 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and spices. Set aside.
3. In another small bowl, stir together mashed banana and baking soda; let sit for 2 minutes.
4. Cream butter and sugar together, preferably in a stand mixer, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until well-combined.
5. Add bananas to the butter mixture and stir. Add flour mixture and stir till just combined. Fold nuts and chocolate chips into batter.
6. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper. Drop tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until nicely golden brown. Cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then move to wire racks.

*Ice Cream Sandwiches: Spread cookies on a baking sheet with wax paper between layers and stick in freezer for 20 or so minutes. Remove from freezer and spread a scoop of softened ice cream between pairs of cookies. Stick back in freezer till ice cream is firm again. Wrap individual sandwiches in plastic wrap or wax paper and store in a zip-lock bag or air-tight container.

Finally! The dead tree in our backyard is gone! You know, the dead tree that had reportedly been dead for a couple of years before we moved here, the one that towered right over our deck and roof, the one that lost branches every time there was a rainstorm or a windy day, the one that we were promised six weeks ago would be cut down “on Thursday”? I guess Monday is the new Thursday because this morning a tree-removal crew showed up and a few hours later when they left that tree was nothing but a stump in the ground.

And a bunch of firewood for us to use this winter. Score!

Annalie sez: thumbs up for no more dead tree!
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Okay, Dana. I’ll bite. Because it’s a good idea for a blog post!

Now that we know this baby is a girl, Troy and I are just starting to talk names. We aren’t anywhere near choosing one, we just have a big list of all the names we sorta maybe like the sound of. At this point it still feels like we’ll never narrow it down to two names because none of them sound quite right when paired with Annalie, or our last name, or they mean something weird.

I commented on Facebook last night that coming up with a name for an innocent, brand-new human is HARD. Apparently this is a common sentiment. The comment thread quickly grew and got hilariously out of control, what with Sonja suggesting Brunhilde and Princess Consuela Bananahammock, and Katie saying she thought & or * (pronounced, of course, ‘Ampersand’ and ‘Asterisk’) would make lovely names.

Then my sister-in-law Dana commented that I should write a blog post about what names we’re considering, and ask you all to discuss and give your opinions of our names. Now, I’m not gonna do that, because I know myself well enough to know that I am Little Miss Contrary. If I told you all my absolute favorite name, a name I loved, and you all agreed that it was fabulous and the name we should use, I would probably say, “Eh, never mind. If everyone likes it so much we’d better pick another name.” I’m not saying it makes sense; I’m just saying I know that’s the way it would go.

But here is what I will do, because apparently there there are others out there, like me, who love discussing names. I can’t promise I’ll join the discussion in any serious way, and it’s very unlikely that anyone will know our kid’s name before she’s actually born. But hey, that doesn’t have to stop the fun! One caveat: don’t feel like you have to tell me THE name you’re saving for your kid, because the last thing I want to do is accidentally steal your name. That said…

What girl names do you like? Why?