Chocolate Chip Cookies Gone Bananas

One of the perks of living with my aunt and uncle is the abundance of ready-to-eat foods. K-cups for instant coffee, frozen meals from Trader Joes, take out meals from Whole Foods, and plenty of fruits and veggies for snacking. I've gotten into the habit of eating a banana for breakfast every morning, and accordingly, have not seen a single banana in the house turn brown... until now.

TWO very spotted bananas sat on the counter staring at me yesterday, quietly chanting: "Bake Me. Bake Me."

Naturally, I couldn't resist the temptation. At first impulse, I thought banana bread or banana muffins, but then I decided to be a bit more creative and make banana cookies. Totally original right?

Wrong - the Internet is filled with banana-based cookie recipes. So, I picked one, adapted it slightly, and set to work baking these Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies - a cakey and semi-nutritious delight!

Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies (adapted from simplyrecipes.com)
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of walnuts 
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used extra dark chocolate chips)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium bowl, mix mashed bananas and baking soda and let sit for 2 minutes (the baking soda reacts with the acid in the bananas and in turn, gives the cookies their rise and lift)
• Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and then add egg and beat for about 30 more seconds
• Mix banana mixture into butter mixture
• In another bowl, sift together flour, spices, and salt and then mix into butter and banana mixture until just combined
• Fold walnuts and chocolate chips into the batter
• Drop dollops of batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet
• Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown
• Let cool on wire racks.

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