Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I don't normally buy bananas.  They always get smashed and bruised in my lunch, and as my friend Nancy will tell you, they always make everything else you brought for lunch taste like bananas.  On the rare occasion that I do buy them, I always seem to have 1 or 2 that never get eaten before they are overcome by brown speckles. 

I was in just that predicament recently when I was getting ready to make chocolate carrot cookies.  I had my flour measured, my carrots steamed, and then I saw the two lonely, speckled bananas sitting on the counter.  I could have put them in the freezer, but I knew that once they were in there, they might never make it out.  So, I decided to scrap the chocolate carrot cookies and make chocolate banana oatmeal ones instead. 

I hadn't really thought the recipe out, but  I knew that I wanted the cookies to have some texture, so I measured out some oats, chopped up some chocolate, mashed the bananas, and got started.  The end result was a cakey, chocolaty, banana cookie that is reminiscent of a muffin top.  They're a perfect way to eat over-ripe bananas. 

Notes:
These cookies are soft and muffin-like.  Be sure to keep the dough chilled until you scoop it out.  Also, don't wait too long to bake the cookies once they are on the baking sheet, because the batter may spread during baking. 

Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder, sifted
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon espresso powder
1½ cups rolled oats
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1½ cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi-sweet or dark)

Yields about 3 dozen cookies

Mix and Chill:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and rolled oats, and set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream the butter with both types of sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated, then beat in the vanilla extract.  Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until it is incorporated.  Scrape the bowl and the beater, then add all of the mashed banana and beat until it is incorporated.  Scrape well and add the remaining half of the flour mixture, and beat until no more streaks remain.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater, and stir in the chocolate chips.  Place some plastic wrap over the top of the bowl, and place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. 

Bake:
Place your oven racks at the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350°F.  Line two cookie sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper.  Once the oven is fully preheated, remove the dough from the refrigerator.  Use a medium-sized cookie scoop or spoon to measure out about 2 tablespoons-worth of dough.  Place the dough on the prepared cookies sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.  Once the cookie sheets are filled, place them in the oven, and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they are done and the tops look dry, rotating the sheets halfway through.  Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.  Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.  Pin It