Buttery and sweet, this Banana Pecan Shortbread recipe is sure to solve your comfort food craving with ripe, sweet bananas, buttery shortbread, and crunchy pecans.
Banana Pecan Shortbread
School is getting ready to start, which puts Fall festivities, baking, and holidays in my brain, so today I wanted to share an ultimate comfort food baking recipe, this Banana Pecan Shortbread. Just by the name, you know it's going to be a sweet, buttery comfort food. I love this Banana Pecan Shortbread recipe because bananas definitely fall into the sweet comfort food category without being too heavy, and the pecans and buttery shortbread add just a little bit more of that comfy-cozy flavor without being too much. Juuuust right. To make your own Banana Pecan Shortbread, you'll need 2 sticks of softened butter, 1 box of instant banana pudding, 2 soft and ripe bananas, some sugar, flour, salt, and a couple of handfuls of whole pecans. You'll also need an 8-inch or 9-inch tart pan if you want to replicate the scalloped edge, or if you're just in it for the flavor and not the looks, you can use a similar-sized pie dish. So butter your dish and set it aside for now.
In a large mixing bowl, add butter, pudding, sugar, bananas, flour, and salt, and beat until it comes together in a dough. It will seem dry at first like when you're making a buttercream but should come together as you continue beating. As soon as it has the consistency of cookie dough, stop beating. Gently fold in a half cup of chopped pecans.
Press your shortbread dough into your greased pan, as flat as you can make it using your hands. Next, use a butter knife to score it where you'll cut it after baking. I cut mine like you would a pizza or pie. Don't skip this step! The first time I made shortbread I ignored the scoring and deeply regretted that choice when I was trying to cut my cooked shortbread and it was turning into a crumbly mess! After scoring, you can decorate the top with whole pecans if you'd like, or even sprinkle on some more chopped ones (be sure to press these into the dough a little so that they'll stay).
Bake in a 300° oven for about 30 minutes, until the banana pecan shortbread is golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then, while it's still warm, cut your shortbreadinto the pieces that you scored before baking. Enjoy it while it's still warm (warm shortbread is THE BEST!) or you can wait until it's finished cooling. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Buttery and sweet, this Banana Pecan Shortbread recipe is sure to solve your comfort food craving with ripe, sweet bananas, buttery shortbread, and crunchy pecans.
Add butter, pudding, sugar, bananas, flour, and salt to a mixing bowl. Beat until it becomes dough. It will be dry at first. Keep beating, it will come together and create a dough.
Fold in chopped pecans.
Press into prepared pan, and lightly score the dough into slices with the back of a table knife.
Top with whole pecans and gently press into the dough.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cut with a pizza cutter and cool completely.
Did you make this recipe?I love seeing your creations. Snap a quick photo and mention @TheGraciousWife or tag #thegraciouswife on Instagram! Leave a STAR rating below!
Did you like this Banana Pecan Shortbread recipe? Find more on my Desserts board on Pinterest!
If you liked this Banana Pecan Shortbread recipe, you might also like
92 Yummy Recipes with Bananas
Banana Cream Cheesecake
Banana Nutella Muffins
White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies
Never Miss a Thing!
Join our newsletter to get new recipes, tips, tricks, and tutorials every week!
Now I know it is hard to believe but these cookies actually taste better once they have had a day or two to age. Aging of shortbread is a good thing but it is difficult to refrain from eating them freshly baked, but give it a try, they really are better the next day.
This is just to help bind the dough a little better together so it holds together a little better. You are not looking to knead it too much as you do not want a tough shortbread.
Irish Shortbread Is Distinct From Scottish Shortbread
Irish shortbread not only sometimes changes up the butter-to-sugar ratio (possibly going with 2/3 a cup of sugar to 1 cup of butter), but also adds cornstarch in place of some of the flour present in the traditional recipe.
However, lipids, which are a component to food such as shortbread cookies are considered unhealthy because they are the most energetic nutrients in food and are a source of saturated fatty acids (SFA) (usually 40%) and sometimes also trans fatty isomers (TFA) [4,5,6].
The key with shortbread is not to overhandle it. Make the dough exactly as instructed, but don't mess around making shapes or over rolling the dough - you will end up with delicious but tough biscuits. Stretching and pulling the dough activates the gluten in the flour, making chewy cookies and not crisp ones.
Sugar provides a fast source of energy. There are rarely any artificial additives. Cons: Shortbread is a weight watcher's nightmare because it is extremely high in saturated fat and calories. Saturated fat is the 'bad' fat which is linked to artery-clogging high cholesterol and heart disease.
As Leiths also recommend chilling the dough before baking, although only for 15 minutes, I make another batch of their recipe with soft butter, stick it straight in the oven without passing the fridge, and end up with thinner, crunchier biscuits – presumably because the mixture spreads as the fat melts.
Step 3: The Secret to the Absolute Best Shortbread
After shaping the cookies, don't rush to the oven! Instead, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so (overnight is OK, too). A short stay in the fridge will firm up the cookies and solidify the butter. This will help keep them from spreading too much.
The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.
Spend extra when it really counts: If you're making a recipe where butter really is the star (think shortbread or biscuits), splashing out for a package of Kerrygold or Vital Farms is worth the expense. The fine differences in the flavor are most impactful in these recipes.
Cornstarch provides the shortbread with structure, but its biggest job is keeping the cookies extra soft, tender, and light. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too. Optional Coarse Sugar Topping: For an optional sparkly crunch on your shortbread wedges, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.
Shortbread is similar to shortcake but doesn't include baking powder. Lots of rich butter gives shortbread a high fat content, resulting in a fine, crumbly texture. Shortcake and shortbread biscuits are delicious on their own, with fruit and cream, or simply topped with a delicate dusting of sugar.
A good way to check to see if the shortbread is baked is to see if they are set - they will be slightly firm around the outside, and may be just beginning to turn golden around the edges. You want to keep them nice and pale so make sure your oven is running at the temperature it says that it is.
There are a variety of reasons why the shortbread could be damp underneath but it is most likely that either the dough is being pressed out too thickly, the pan is not metal so heats up too slowly, or the oven temperature is too high causing the top to brown before the bottom has cooked sufficiently.
Ingredient Ratios:Butter: Shortbread relies heavily on butter for its flavor and texture. Make sure you are using the correct ratio of butter to flour. If there is too much flour or too little butter, the dough may be too dry. ...
Piercing the shortbread with a fork is not only for decoration, but it's meant for more even baking. Poking holes in the shortbread allows the heat to penetrate the cookie, hence more even baking. Notice I'm using powdered sugar here. You'll see lots of shortbread recipes using granulated sugar.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
