This recipe is based on an old recipe from William Sonoma which they’d named Banana Oatmeal Power Cookies. For some reason it made me think of The Simpsons episode where Homer changes his name to Max Power. Dumb, I know. But that’s where my mind was when I found the recipe which I inevitably changed.
First I got rid of the dried fruit and substituted chocolate. Chocolate gets lonely without vanilla, so I took out the cinnamon and added some of my Mexican vanilla. Lastly, I used toasted almonds instead of walnuts because I was out of walnuts. End result? A very good cookie.
A few notes. The amount of chocolate chips is only a suggestion – use more or less to taste. The cookies are fairly thin, but if you chill the dough they bake up a bit thicker. Like most banana cookies, they are soft. However, they do have nice crispy edges if you bake them long enough and let them cool properly on a rack.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (140 grams)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup flaked coconut (can omit)
- 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (150 grams)
- 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temp (84 grams)
- 1/3 cup mashed banana
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped, toasted nuts (I used toasted almonds)
- Preheat an oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then stir in the oats and coconut. In a large bowl, cream the brown sugar and butter with a wooden spoon until fluffy. Stir in the banana, egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, then stir in the chocolate and nuts.
- Spoon the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet(s), spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet(s) on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Anna says
June 22, 2007 at 12:27 pmIt’s a use-up-bananas kind of day, isn’t it?
Oh, feel free to link all you want. I should put some ads up here ;).
tori says
June 22, 2007 at 12:16 pmYou are perfect! I have a banana that I didn’t know what to do with and this looks great. I bet it would taste good as you posted but with the cinnamon too. I think I will try it that way.
I posted one of your recipes yesterday, and changed it all up so it didn’t really resemble your actual recipe. I linked to you about a hundred times yesterday too. I promise I am not harmful!