Banana Chip Cookies Recipe
A riff on one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. This version features banana chips, chocolate chips, toasted walnuts, toasted wheat germ, and whole wheat pastry flour.
Riffing on one of my favorite cookie doughs, the one I use in SNC for the mesquite flour chocolate chip cookies, these decadent cookies get plenty of flavor and crunch from toasted walnuts and chopped banana chips. I have to admit, it was hard for me to resist adding even more ingredients (coconut, ground espresso, and on and on), but I fought the urge, and stopped short after the chocolate chips, oh and the wheat germ. Essentially I was on a bender in the bin section at the grocery store and these cookies were the result.
This is what your dough should look like just before you drop and bake the cookies. If you don't like banana chips leave them out, same goes for the nuts - or swap in something more to your liking...
Before and after. I'm actually curious about how these cookies might turn out if I used coconut oil/coconut butter in place of the unsalted butter. If any of the vegan bakers out there try it, please report back. I suspect it would be delicious and add a nice undercurrent of coconut flavor. With all the hot weather we've been experiencing, I think the trick would be making sure the coconut is in its solid state (so chill just a bit before beating/adding sugar)...
I actually froze off most of this batch of cookies, and will bake them on demand :) I crowd them onto a single baking sheet and place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes, long enough for them to firm up. Then I transfer them to freezer bags (double bag). It makes baking off a couple at a time a breeze, and the pre-freeze ensures you don't end up with frozen bags of mashed cookie dough. And to get this shape over and over I push the dough out of the tablespoon with my thumb.
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Banana Chip Cookie Recipe
If you can't find whole wheat pastry flour, regular all-purpose white flour will work. If you can't find wheat germ, substitute an equal amount of flour. I look for organic banana chips - the ones I like are made with organic coconut oil and bananas.
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (see head notes)
1/2 cup (toasted) wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup banana chips, loosely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, racks in middle/upper middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, or stand mixer, beat the butter until lightly and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until it is the consistency of a thick frosting. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next, and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times along the way (important!). Stir in the vanilla. Add the reserved flour mix in two increments, stirring/mixing a bit between each addition (but not too much). By hand, stir in the banana chips, chocolate chips and walnuts - mix just until everything is evenly distributed.
Drop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 7 - 8 minutes, until barely golden on top and bottom. Resist over baking, they will come out dry and not as tasty. Cook on racks.
Make about 24 cookies.
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Comments
Another great one that I can't wait to try. And the freezing tip is brilliant! Why by the unhealthy tub of dough from the kid next door when you can have these cookies on hand?!
Oh my yum! My only problem would be keeping the kids and myself from eating all of the banana chips before the cookies were baked.
I said, Oooooooooh, when I saw the pic. I definately will try this as soon as possible. I made the heavenly pie for Father's Day! I am the best wife ,mother and daughter-in-law on the planet! Enough said. Thank you!
These came out so uniquely delicious! Thanks, Heidi!
Once I made a batch of chewy banana-cranberry cookies, they were sooooo good... You just can't go wrong with flavor pairings like banana-chocolate. Thanks for the recipe and yummy pic, Heidi.
these look so good! if anyone tries with mashed banana, please let us know how you adjusted the recipe. i usually make heidi's incredible Espresso Banana Muffins from SNC when mine have been on the kitchen counter too long, but this sounds like it could be a great destination for them as well.
Heidi, these look amazing! I too thought they'd have mashed bananas but the banana chips are a fun twist. I'd really like to try this with the coconut butter as you suggested--would I substitute 1:1 with the butter?
Oh wow - these look amazing and I can't wait to try them. Thanks for the pre-freezer/freezer tip -- I love the idea of baking just a few at a time for my family.
love the "bender in the bin section" comment, had me smiling on this rainy monday!! Two questions, 1. do the banana chips keep their crunchy texture after cooked in the cookies? 2. what is the consistency of the brown sugar you use ... an oddly difficult ingredient to buy in Geneva. I normally import the thick, moist 'north american' variety. many thanks
Brenda - yes, you can put mashed bananas in cookies. My mom's Betty Crocker has an alternative to oatmeal raisin that adds mashed banana, and it does an amazing job of keeping them moist. I wonder if it would work as well as applesauce as a vegan egg substitute?
Brenda - yes, you can put mashed bananas in cookies. My mom's Betty Crocker has an alternative to oatmeal raisin that adds mashed banana, and it does an amazing job of keeping them moist. I wonder if it would work as well as applesauce as a vegan substitute?
"on a bender in the bin section" Oh, yes, I know it well :-) So many unmarked containers in my cabinets quickly led me to start identifying everything by sight. Millet vs. quinoa took awhile :-) great post. i do love me some cookies!
"on a bender in the bin section" Oh, yes, I know it well :-) So many unmarked containers in my cabinets quickly led me to start identifying everything by sight. Millet vs. quinoa took awhile :-) great post. i do love me some cookies!
Dear God these look delicious.
I actually bet the mesquite flour would be a nice addition to these -- I think I'll give them a go that way. The sweet richness of it could work well with the banana flavor. Perhaps just a few tablespoons of the mesquite, to give a hint of the flavor without changing the texture completely. And hooray -- a break in the hot weather. Not a bad week here for baking at all.
For a minute I thought this were 'Banana - Chocolate Chip' cookies not 'Banana chip'. While these look lovely - is there any way to use mashed bananas in making cookies? As you do with muffins? I get great organic bananas from our local farm but sometimes can't eat them fast enough so like to use the really mushy ones to bake. I would love to try a banana-chocolate chip cookie....
Ooo these look so good. I love anything with bananas.
thank you for the substitute for whole wheat pastry flour. now i can make these (or i would have died). ;-)
What a lovely recipe idea! I wish I had the recipe a couple of hours ago to make for my stepson who stopped by for Father's Day! I had MOST of the indgredients - I only need to shop for a couple items . . .my kid loves dessert! Thanks for fun ideas!
Lovely cookies. Hehe that sounded wrong somehow. ANYWAY. I can totally relate to the whole 'putting everything but the kitchen sink' baking scenario. I find myself doing that a lot. Although less is more--it IS fun to see what happens when you play with things. Some really groovy recipes can result from such experimentation. :)
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