Scientists use banana peel flour to make better sugar cookies

Substituting some of the wheat flour in sugar cookies with banana peel flour

Banana peels aren’t always destined for the trash or compost anymore. They’re making their way onto people’s plates, replacing pork in ‘pulled peel’ sandwiches and getting fried up into bacon. And now, researchers from India and US show that incorporating banana peel flour into sugar cookie batter makes the treats more healthful. In taste tests, cookies enriched with some banana peel flour were more satisfying than those baked with wheat flour alone.

Interest in plant-based diets and reducing food waste is increasing, and people want creative ways to use every part of their vegetables and fruits. Banana peels are one such waste that chefs and home cooks have been experimenting with, but these skins are extremely fibrous, making them unpleasant to eat raw.

To make banana peel flour, the researchers peeled ripe, undamaged bananas and then blanched, dried and ground the skins into a fine powder. They mixed together different amounts of the powder with butter, skimmed milk powder, powdered sugar, vegetable oil and wheat flour, creating five batches of sugar cookies, and baked them.

Because cookies can be enriched with some banana peel flour without impacting their consumer acceptance, the researchers say this addition could make these baked goods more nutritious.

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