Hummingbird Cookies
Hummingbird cake is one of my favorite cake flavors. I love the banana and pineapple flavors. Add in coconut and pecans and a thick layer of fluffy cream cheese frosting and I’m in love! Hummingbird cake gets its name from Jamaica whose national bird is the scissors-tail hummingbird and became popular in the South in the 70’s.
Of course, I don’t usually have a reason to make an entire cake. I’ve made hummingbird muffins before and those were the perfect size for a sweet treat. I was thinking about the muffins the other day and thought hummingbird cookies would also be pretty yummy!
These Hummingbird Cookies have an almost muffin/cake-like texture to them. I drizzled them with some powdered sugar icing. These cookies were a nice sweet bite without being too much. I love these cookies for summertime. They would be great for serving at parties or showers for a dessert spread where you want smaller bites and more options.
Tips and suggestions before you get started:
- Be sure to allow enough time to refrigerate the dough for about two hours before baking. Chilling the dough allows the butter to solidify so that when the cookies are baking, they don’t spread and stay nice and thick as pictured.
- The coconut and pecans are totally optional in this recipe, but I highly recommend adding them for added flavor and texture.
- For the icing, I mixed some powdered sugar with a bit of milk. If you want to do a cream cheese icing more traditional with hummingbird cakes, you can use the recipe here. If you do the cream cheese icing, be sure to keep the cookies stored in the fridge.
Hummingbird Cookies
Hummingbird Cookies - Inspired by the classic hummingbird cake, these sweet cookies have banana, pineapple, coconut, and cinnamon!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 small ripe banana, mashed
- 2/3 cup crushed pineapple (don't need to drain)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-5 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugars with a mixer. Mix in the vanilla, egg, banana, and pineapple.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the coconut and pecans (if using). Cover bowl and refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat. Use a medium cookie scoop (or about 2-3 tablespoons of dough) to scoop out the dough and arrange on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for approximately 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.
- While the cookies are baking, add the powdered sugar to a bowl. Add in 3 tablespoons of the milk. Stir. The consistency of the icing should be thin enough to drizzle, but not too watery. If needed, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Let the cookies cool for about 3-5 minutes. Drizzle the icing on top and let stand for about 20 minutes. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container or store in fridge for better freshness.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 180Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 111mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
2 Comments on “Hummingbird Cookies”
Where are the rest of the 23!comments?
Hi Paula. It is not required to do both so most just rate and move on these days without also providing written feedback.