Hannah’s Note: Florence didn’t have any bananas (she didn’t expect to be open while they were shooting the movie) and I ended up taking one of Edna’s shortcuts in this recipe. If you don’t like shortcuts and want to do this the original way, use 2/3 cup very ripe, almost all black on the outside, pureed bananas instead of the baby food bananas and banana pudding mix. The other change you have to make is to use 4 cups flour instead of 3˝. The dough will be stickier and you’ll have to chill it for at least 4 hours in order to make the dough balls. I made these cookies both ways, and Mother was the only one who could tell the difference. (I still think it was a lucky guess.)

1˝ cups melted butter (3 sticks)

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)

1 teaspoon baking soda

˝ teaspoon salt

˝ cup baby food mashed bananas (I used Gerbers)

5.1 ounce package banana cream pudding mix (NOT sugar-free) (I used Jell-O, 6-serving pkg.)

3˝ cups flour (no sifting—pack it down in the cup when you measure)

1 cup chopped nuts (I used salted peanuts)

2 cups peanut butter chips (one 10-ounce package will do just fine)

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˝ cup white (granulated) sugar for later

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the sugars, beaten eggs, baking soda, and salt.

Measure out ˝ cup of baby food bananas and add it, along with the package of dry pudding mix. (Make sure your baby food bananas don’t have anything else, like cereal, added to them!)

Mix in the flour by half-cup increments. Add the nuts and then the peanut butter chips. Stir until everything is incorporated.

Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. (If it’s too sticky, chill it for 30 minutes or so, and try again.)

Put ˝ cup white sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it. Place the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized sheet. Press them down with the heel of your hand, or with a metal spatula sprayed with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees F., or until they’re lightly golden in color. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

These cookies freeze well. Roll them up in foil, and place the rolls in a freezer bag.

Michelle asked for this recipe after Lonnie Murphy tasted them at The Cookie Jar. She says she’s going to freeze some so he’ll have them when he visits her, but she’s going to mark the package “Lutefisk Patties” so her roommates won’t get into them.

Yield: Approximately 8 to 10 dozen, depending on cookie size.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

6 tablespoons chilled butter (ž stick, 3 ounces)

12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips (two cups—I used Ghirardelli’s)

˝ cup firmly packed powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)