Cloudy Kitchen

menu icon
search icon

Banana Shortbread

This Banana Shortbread recipe is super easy to make. It has a brown butter shortbread base, and the dough is made with roasted banana. It is finished with a simple brown butter icing glaze

Table of contents

Easy Banana Shortbread Recipe

Our holiday has nearly finished! Tomorrow we fly back to New York. I'm a little bummed its over, but I can't wait to get back! I've missed making food, and I have so many exciting collabs coming up that I can't wait to share!

This is a recipe that I came up with a couple of months ago. It took a whole load of tweaking until I was finally happy with it, but I can happily say that it tastes awesome (well, I think so anyway!).

Brown Butter would have to be one of my favourite things. I love how applicable it is to so many dishes, and how it adds an extra level of complexity to the flavour profile. I add it to almost everything I can, and this was no exception. The nuttiness in the brown butter pairs beautifully with the caramelised banana, and the whole thing is topped off with a brown butter based glaze.

How to make Banana Shortbread

I adapted my Great Grandmothers shortbread recipe to accommodate the banana and brown butter. It still loosely follows the 3:2:1 butter:sugar:flour ratio of traditional shortbread, but because of the banana it is slightly softer and less dry. Ideally it should be left in the oven to dry out for an hour or two to help it go a little more crunchy.

I like to use an oblong tart tin with a removable bottom that is approx 13 ¾"  4 ¼". This makes removing the shortbread before you glaze it really easy. If you don't have one of these, you can use a cake tin, just make sure that you line it well so that you are able to use the paper to remove the shortbread from the tin.

Feel free to decorate this any way you please! My absolute favourite way is with dried edible flowers, but it would look great plain, or with some simple sprinkles or dusted with icing sugar. Go nuts! (Or Bananas. Really I mean, go bananas)

❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️

I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!

Answers to your baking questions

Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:

I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!

Recipe For Banana Shortbread

Afghan Biscuits (Chocolate Cornflake Cookies)

These Afghan Biscuits are a New Zealand classic. Afghan Biscuits are a chocolate cornflake cookie, topped with a simple chocolate icing and a walnut. This Afghan Biscuit recipe is super easy to make and a crowd favourite, and also happen to be an egg free cookie recipe!

grouped together afghans on parchment paper

Hi hi! I am just popping in to share this recipe for Afghans with you! This one holds a special place in my heart - it was one of the very first recipes that I published on this wee baking blog, and it was also the recipe that I used to make as a kid when I was learning to bake.

Afghan biscuits are a New Zealand classic - they are something people make all the time at home, but also something you'll find in a bakery. It is a simple chocolate cornflake cookie, topped with a classic chocolate icing (if you know about my shitty chocolate icing aka brownie frosting this is the same one!)

If you're after a quick, easy and delicious cookie that also happens to be egg free if that's something that you need, I got you covered! This recipe feels a bit weird when you are making it because it doesn't have eggs or any leavening but I promise it is correct.

creamed butter and sugar mixture
Creamed butter and sugar
add dry ingredients
Add in dry
add cornflakes
Cornflakes in
Finished dough
Dough in under 5 min!

Why are they called Afghans?

Look, the name is horrendous. I've searched and searched the internet and can't come up with a conclusive answer, but I cannot find any reliable sources that point to why Afghan biscuits have their name. However, I'm almost certain it doesn't come from a good place. Just acknowledging this - if you would like to call them chocolate cornflake cookies then go for it!

balls of cookie dough flattened
Roll into balls then flatten
baked cookies
They spread a wee bit!

How to finish an Afghan biscuit - chocolate or icing?!

This is divisive in New Zealand - some people put melted chocolate on their biscuits rather than icing. In my opinion this is not correct (except for the fully coated supermarket ones), and an Afghan biscuit has to be finished with chocolate frosting. If you have been here for any stretch of time you know the chokehold that my brownie frosting recipe has on my husband, so we of course use that. Make it as thick or as thin as you like depending on preference.

Afghans are always finished with a walnut half, but Adventure dad would like me to tell you he also sometimes swaps out the walnut for some sprinkles.

add icing to cookies
Icing on top
finish with a walnut
Finish with a walnut!

❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️

I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!

Answers to your baking questions

Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:

I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!

Black Bean Brownie

This easy Black Bean Brownie is dairy free and vegan and filled with dark chocolate chunks. It is easy to make and will become your new favourite treat!

Table of contents

DSC01917.jpg

Easy Gluten Free Vegan Brownie

This brownie is full of surprises. It is dense and chocolatey without being too gooey, its not over sweet, and the ribbons of dark chocolate through it tie everything together beautifully. The surprises come in the form of the ingredients. Not only does it happen to be vegan and gluten free, but it uses black beans as a base. If you would like to keep it refined sugar free, skip the chocolate and up the cocoa content. I was as sceptical as anyone when I came across a similar recipe, but was pleasantly surprised. The beans in it give it a lovely dense texture, and make it a teensy bit more guilt free (who are we kidding here, nobody makes brownies with this in mind). I love it with some greek yoghurt, or it is also amazing with some whipped coconut cream. 

DSC02042.jpg

Notes for Vegan Black Bean Brownies

A few wee notes:

  • This makes a fairly small amount of brownie - I often double it, and bake it in a 9" tin for about 25-30 minutes.

  • It will look kind of under cooked when it is done - you want it to be just set! It will firm up nicely in the fridge.

  • You can also make this in 4" cake pans - it makes about 4 layers.

DSC01385.jpg

For more Dairy Free Recipes, check out:

❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️

I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!

Answers to your baking questions

Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:

I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!

Recipe for Black Bean Brownie

I made a cute wee video of this which you can find on my instagram!

output_ZGuhcS.gif