Chocolate chip cookies are the definition of a classic and there are countless versions of the “perfect” CCC out there. I am the type of person that makes them a little different each time. Some of my favorite recipes are these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and todays banana chocolate chip cookies.
In addition to their wonderful flavor, bananas also bring a great amount of moisture to so many baked goods. Now unfortunately, cookie dough with bananas involved has a tendency to bake up really cakey and while thats fine for some cookies, I prefer my CCC to be chewy and that is exactly how todays cookies are… chewy and chocolatey with just the right amount of banana flavor.
Let’s get started…
Begin by mashing 2 medium overly ripe bananas until they are nice and smooth.
Now add 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and a cup of softened butter and mix until everything is completely combined.
Whisk in a cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar until fully incorporated.
Add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a teaspoon of salt and mix until just combined.
Last, but not least, fold in 1 1/2 cups of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator or freezer until firm.
Do I really need to chill the cookie dough?
There are several reasons that certain cookie recipes call for chilling the dough before baking. Most commonly, it is to prevent the dough from spreading out too much during the baking process. Some doughs are looser than others and these dough cans spread out beyond a recognizable cookie shape during baking and chilling will prevent this from happening.
Chilling cookie dough also helps to give the flour more of a chance to absorb the moistures in the dough and the gluten in the flour some time to relax a little both of which will help give your cookies a more chewy texture.
Long story short, in this particular recipe, chilling the dough is a necessary step in creating the best result.
Once the dough is firm, use a greased tablespoon sized cookie dough scoop to drop dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each portion.
Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes in a 350 degree oven and as soon as the edges of the cookies start to brown a little bit, they are ready to pull out.
In the photo above, you may notice that some of the cookies are wider and flatter and some are more round and puffed. The difference is made in the seconds right after you pull the cookies out of the oven…
The cookies on the left were left alone to cool and the cookies on the right were dropped hard a few times on a cutting board to deflate them while they were still hot.
The main difference is that the undisturbed cookies will be slightly chewy with a little more puff to them, but the cookies that were deflated will be much more chewy, so depending on how chewy you prefer your cookies… drop or don’t drop!
My last note is to garnish your cookies a little bit after you pull them out of the oven. I love adding a couple of extra chocolate chips, some crushed nuts or a little flaky sea salt over the cookies while they are nice and hot. This is purely cosmetic, but pretty cookies taste better… it’s science…
These cookies are just beautiful. Beautiful flavor, beautiful texture and they keep that great texture for days at room temperature. I love freezing these cookies too. They last for months in an airtight container in the freezer and you’ll always have a delicious treat waiting for you.
So the next time you have some overly ripe bananas sitting on your counter, make a batch of these banana chocolate chip cookies. You’ll be glad you did…
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 medium overly ripe bananas, mashed smooth
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup of butter, softened (salted or unsalted)
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of chocolate, chopped or chips
- 1/2 cup of nuts, crushed (optional topping)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash 2 medium overly ripe bananas until smooth
- Add 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and a cup of softened butter and mix until combined
- Mix in a cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar until fully combined
- Add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a teaspoon of salt and mix until just combined
- Fold in 1 1/2 cups of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough
- Chill or freeze the dough until it has firmed up enough to hold a thumb indent and preheat your oven to 350 degrees while the dough is chilling
- Once firm, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets leaving 2 inches between each portion
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to brown just a little bit
- Transfer the baking sheet onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes and once the cookies have set up enough to move, transfer them directly onto the cooling rack to continue cooling (they will firm up as they cool)
- Optionally, top the cookies with additional chocolate or chopped nuts as soon as you pull them out of the oven
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, in the refrigerator or freezer
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