If you are a fan of banana nut bread, then you are really going to appreciate these cookies. These soft, chewy banana bread cookies are full of chocolate chips and walnuts and every single bite is simply fabulous.
They are delicious, easy to make and require no special preparation or chilling. These cookies are the reason that I am never sad or even mildly upset, when I see my bananas getting a little over ripe.
Lets get them started…
Begin by gathering 2 medium very ripe bananas (the more ripe, the better), 1/2 cup of vegetable or canola oil, 1 cup of light brown sugar, 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice, a pinch of ground ginger, 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips and 2/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts. I also chop up a little extra chocolate and walnuts for garnishing the cookies after they are baked, but this is totally optional and purely cosmetic.
In a large mixing bowl, mash 2 medium bananas until they are smooth. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable or canola oil, 1 cup of light brown sugar, 2 egg yolks and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in with the mashed bananas and mix until everything is fully combined.
In a separate bowl, combine 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice, a pinch of ground ginger and 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour.
Add this mixture in with the banana and egg yolk mixture and mix until just combined.
Gently fold 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips and 2/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts into the cookie dough.
This cookie dough is fairly soft, so the easiest way to work with it is by spraying a cookie dough scoop with non-stick spray and use it to transfer heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto parchment lined baking sheets leaving at least 2 inches between each portion of dough.
Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 10-11 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden and puffed.
As soon as you pull the cookies out of the oven, I like to bang the baking sheets on my counter top a few times to slightly deflate them. The bananas in this dough give these cookies a great light texture, but if you prefer your cookies a little more chewy and a little less cake like, bang the baking sheets on the counter to knock some of the air out of the freshly baked cookies.
Something else that I like to do right after these cookies come out of the oven is to sprinkle a little extra finely chopped chocolate and walnuts over each one. It not only adds a beautiful touch to the way that these cookies look, but it adds more chocolate and nuts and that is always a good idea…
These cookies are just wonderful. They have a beautifully light texture with a nice chewiness and a little crunch from the walnuts. The addition of the chocolate adds richness and the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and ginger round these cookies out in a delicious way.
The banana flavor is beautiful and very reminiscent of a classic banana bread.
If you have some extra ripe bananas just hanging around or have a hankering for banana bread, but don’t want to wait an hour until it is ready, then make these banana nut chocolate chip cookies, grab a glass of cold milk and enjoy a few… or more than a few… bananas are healthy!
Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas, very ripe
- 1/2 cup of vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup of light brown sugar, packed
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of all spice
- a pinch of ground ginger
- 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup of walnuts, finely chopped
- additional finely chopped chocolate and walnuts (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl, mash 2 medium overly ripe bananas until smooth and add 1/2 cup of vegetable or canola oil, 1 cup of light brown sugar, 2 egg yolks and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined
- In a separate bowl, combine 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice, a pinch of ground ginger and 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour and then add this in with the banana and egg yolk mixture
- Mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated and then add 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips and 2/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts
- Using a greased cookie dough scoop, scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets leaving at least 2 inches of space between each portion of dough
- Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 10-11 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden
- As soon as you transfer the cookies out of the oven, bang the baking sheet onto your counter top a few times to deflate the freshly baked cookies (optional)
- Garnish the warm cookies with finely chopped chocolate and walnuts (optional)
- Store room temperature leftovers in an airtight container
