Homemade Banana Moon Pies

Ransome loves Moon Pies and so do I. I have seen so many recipes for them but I think this one is the best, soft and sweet. I just love using vanilla beans instead of liquid vanilla extract. I think the taste is best with the beans, plus I love the look of the tiny little vanilla goodness in every bite. This is the first cookie that I have piped out of an icing bag but it will not be the last. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 very ripe banana-mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick butter-softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 vanilla bean-scraped
2 packages cream cheese-softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean-scraped

In your Kitchen Aid Mixer with the paddle attachment, mix your butter and both sugars together until light and creamy. Add in your banana, sour cream, vanilla, and egg. Now add your egg and sour cream and mix well. Now sift all of your dry ingredients together. I added mine in a cup at a time until all are mixed well. Now fill a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/4 tube tip. I squeezed out mine to half dollar coin size on a parchment lined cookie sheet. I wish that I had pressed the "tip" down so the outside of the cookie would have looked smoother, next time maybe. I guess they look fine with the little pointy tip on top though. Bake at 350' for 10-12 minutes. They will not get golden but will be solid to the touch when done. I removed mine from the parchment paper to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Add your cream cheese and vanilla bean scrapings into your Kitchen Aid bowl and with the paddle attachment on, whip until light. Add in the powdered sugar a cup at a time until all is added. Fill a pastry bag and use the same size tip that you used to make the cookies. Place about a tablespoon of icing on the bottom of a cookie and top with another. Store in the fridge.