Another week, another bunch of overripe bananas that I absolutely refuse to throw out! I was tired of the same ol’ banana bread when I came across this great cookie recipe: Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
These cookies have a terrific “banana bread” flavor with the toasty crunchy walnuts and the moist sweet banana, while the semi sweet chocolate chunks gives that perfect extra flavor twist that makes them a little more different that your average cookie.
The key to the great flavor and texture in these cookies is keep the toasted walnuts chunky, don’t over chop them. I used chocolate chunks (instead of chips or chopping my own chocolate) to keep with the “chunky” theme. When the walnuts and the chocolate are left “chunky” it gives these cookies their own unique style. Here is how you make them:
You can find the entire recipe for Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies here. Preheat the oven to 375. Whisk together the flours, salt and baking soda. This recipe calls for 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. This combination helps to make a nice, denser cookie.
In an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the room temperature eggs and vanilla, then mix in the mashed banana. Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined.
At this point I take the bowl off the mixer and stir in the oats, chocolate chunks and walnut chunks by hand. This helps prevent the batter from forming too much gluten and will help keep the chocolate and walnuts “chunky” instead of broken down into little pieces by the electric mixer.
Scoop up the dough and place each ball about 2 inches apart on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. I used a medium sized ice cream scoop to make these cookies in the pictures. I have also used a small ice cream scoop to make cute little cookies that are great on a buffet or served with espresso for a snack.
Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until just set and golden brown. Let the finished cookies cool completely on a wire rack. These cookies will stay moist and delicious for a several days (if they last that long!)… and the flavor gets even better a day or two after baking.
