I transformed my favorite cake, Hummingbird Cake, into a soft, flavorful cookie. These Hummingbird Cookies capture all the warm, southern flavors of the cake and are finished with a homemade cream cheese frosting for the perfect balance of tang and sweetness.

This recipe was created for Dixie Crystals by BigBear’sWife. The post and words are my own.

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The holiday baking season is in full swing: presents are wrapped, the kitchen smells like sugar and spice, and the cookie trays are filling up faster than I can package them. With Christmas just days away, I’ve been baking every kind of cookie I love — traditional sugar cookies, my famous Hot Chocolate Cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and some less expected choices like these Hummingbird Cookies.

I enjoy baking many varieties of cookies. While classic sugar cookies and chocolate-forward treats are always welcome, I also like adapting cakes and other desserts into cookies. Hummingbird Cake is one of my all-time favorites — a few years ago it won me over completely. Last year I even asked for a Hummingbird Cake for my birthday, so turning it into a cookie felt like a natural experiment.

…I love all types of cookies, from traditional to unexpected, and these Hummingbird Cookies are a favorite…

Although I wouldn’t label these strictly as “Christmas cookies,” they fit right in with any holiday spread. A homemade Hummingbird Cookie is a welcome treat any time of year.

Hummingbird cake combines banana, pineapple, warm spices, and often nuts—flavors that translate beautifully into cookie form. I set out to keep those same familiar notes while creating a soft, tender cookie that’s sturdy enough for a generous smear of frosting.

One important choice: I purposely kept the cookie base moderately sweet so the cream cheese frosting could shine. Fresh from the oven the cookies are pleasant but not cloying; once frosted, the sweet tang of the cream cheese elevates them into something memorable.

…each cookie is finished with a sweet homemade cream cheese frosting…

If you give these a try, I’d love to see your photos. Share on social media and tag your posts with #bigbearswife so I can find them and cheer along with you.

Hummingbird Cookies

I created this recipe for Dixie Crystals and the full recipe is available on their site.

Click through to Dixie Crystals to view the complete recipe.

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