I have a confession to make.
I don’t like bananas.
Maybe you were fooled here by my love for banana bread.
Maybe you were fooled by my need to add chopped bananas to every pancake I consume.
Maybe you were fooled when I ate frozen bananas like they were ice cream when I was pregnant with my babies.
Don’t be fooled. I don’t like bananas. They’re slimy and a little smelly and they truly make me gag when I try to eat one.
But! If you let a banana get really, really ripe and mix it with sugar, chocolate and flour, you might have found a way to make me fall in love with bananas.
The truth is I love bananas prepared in all the ways above and more. Freezing them solves the creepy consistency problem. Adding them to pancakes caramelizes them and breaks them down. Adding them to bread hides them all together.
These cookies are the love child of your favorite banana bread and an oatmeal cookie.
If you’re one of those strange people who thinks raisins have a place in baked goods, go ahead and use them in place of the chocolate chips. Ok, you’re not strange, you’re just not going to like my baked goods. Go ahead and make your own. You could even use dried apricots or your other favorite dried fruit.
The bananas keep the cookie super moist and add just a hint of banana flavor. Even if you don’t like bananas, I’d recommend giving these a try.
Recipe
Banana Bread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup mashed banana, (about 3)
- 3 eggs,, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the bananas, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the flour and baking soda and mix on low until well blended. Add oats and chocolate chips and mix just until incorporated.
- Drop batter by the spoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly on the pan before removing to a rack to cool completely.
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