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Home » Chocolate Chip Cookies

Action Vietnam Cookies (Banana Oatmeal)

Modified: Apr 22, 2024 · Published: Jul 12, 2008 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

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I first shared this recipe for Action Vietnam Cookies way back in 2008. It's been quite popular through the years, though you wouldn't know it from the way I've treated it -- bad photos, no recipe card. But people like it! The recipe is originally from a book called “Food Writer’s Favorite Cookies” where it was submitted by Betty Bernard, Food Editor for the Lake Charles Press. In her entry, Betty says that a fellow staff member baked these soft oatmeal banana and chocolate cookies for her son who was assigned war time duty in Vietnam. The cookies ship well, age well and taste great. I can attest that all of this is true.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

Cookie Taste Test

First off, they have a lot going on -- – cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut, bananas, chocolate and uh, raisins. I personally love raisins, but they are not my favorite with chocolate. For that reason, I've been known to use dried cranberries or even prunes instead of or in addition to the raisins. Use any dried fruit you like. As for texture, they're soft on the inside and have firm, brown, crusty shells. The shortening, which is supposed to help the cookies stay fresh longer, really improves the texture. It doesn't add any flavor, but the cookies have so many other flavors you won't miss the butter. I just wish they would make shortening healthy. The good news is you can use butter instead.

Action Vietnam Cookies or Banana and Chocolate

Vegan Version

The recipe also works well with vegan ingredients. I have successfully made these with Earth Balance in place of shortening and a flax egg in place of the egg. With the vegan version, I sometimes use whole wheat flour in place of white flour. The whole wheat flour soaks up some of the moisture from the vegan butter so the cookies don't spread as much. A certified vegan shortening would also work really well.

Banana Flavor

One last thing about these cookies is that even though they have banana, they don't taste like mushy healthy food cookies where banana replaces the fat. Those kinds of soft oatmeal cookies have their time and place, but the banana in these cookies just fits right in with the chocolate, fat and other flavors. The cookies are really just another excellent way to use up very ripe bananas.

Action Vietnam Cookies aka Banana Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
¾ cup solid vegetable shortening (butter should be fine)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 mashed ripe bananas (or about 1 cup mashed)
½ c. coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts
⅔ c. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
½ c. shredded coconut
⅓ c. dried cranberries or raisins tossed in 1 tablespoon flour
1 ¾ c. quick-cooking rolled oats, uncooked

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together shortening and brown sugar. Add the egg and continue beating until ingredients are well blended, then stir in banana. Next, add the flour mixture and stir until it is almost incorporated, then add the nuts, chocolate, coconut, dried cranberries and oats.
Once you have a soft dough, drop from end of teaspoon onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 12 minutes or until done. Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

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Recipe

Action Vietnam Cookies

Action Vietnam Cookies

Anna
Cookies that are great for shipping. You can definitely make these with butter if you prefer. The shortening was used for texture and because the cookies were designed to stay fresh for a while.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 60 cookies

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (200 grams)
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
  • ¾ cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large mashed ripe bananas or enough to equal 1 cup
  • ½ cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels (you can use less)
  • ½ cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries or raisins tossed in 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 ¾ cup quick-cooking rolled oats, uncooked (not instant)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together shortening and brown sugar. Add egg and continue beating until ingredients are well blended. Stir in banana. Add flour mixture and stir until it is almost incorporated, then add the nuts, chocolate, coconut, dried cranberries and oats.
  • Drop dough from end of teaspoon onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until done. Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.
Keyword Banana Cookies, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Vietnam
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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  1. Lori Ann Kruithof says

    April 30, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    I really love the mint,banana combo too and even moreso that combo with walnuts!!!! Yummy!!!!

  2. Lorinda - The Rowdy Baker says

    April 30, 2017 at 11:05 am

    My grandmother used to make these two - they were a favorite of mine. Hers had mint chocolate chips in them, which sounds a little odd but is amazing. I've tried them without the mint chips and they just aren't as tempting. When I can't find mint chips I melt regular chocolate chips, add a few drops of peppermint extract, pour it on a piece of parchment and once it's hard I chop it up. That's how much I love the mint/banana combo.
    Love them for breakfast.

  3. Lori Ann Kruithof says

    November 23, 2016 at 4:18 am

    My grandmother made these cookies for all 3 of her Vietnam Veteren sons and for her other 2 Veteren sons. She used real butter and only Imperial dark brown sugar. Then she put them in pringles cans and froze them until shipping. She always made enough for my uncles entire squadran. They ship great and have a long shelf life. The taste is phenomenal... She of course continued making these at Christmas along with her Divinity and Sees Fudge, for all 9 of her children and grandchildren. I myself have been making these since I was a little girl along side my mother and now my daughters. I have tried different variations over the years. I have swapped cranberries for raisons, white peppermint chocolate (or Andes Mint Chocolate Chips) for milk chocolate, and walnuts for pecans. TThis is my favorite swap out but nothing compares to the original in my mind and heart. When I eat them my heart warms and I find mysel#i n the cozy kitchens of my grandmothe and mother as a little girl. They taste like beloved family and Christmas to me.

  4. Le Anne says

    December 12, 2013 at 8:52 am

    These are THE best cookies. We've made them for years. My mother found the recipe in the newspaper at Christmas time and made them and sent to the troops. They are delicious and they keep and ship REALLY well. I can't speak highly enough of these cookies...and soooo yummy!!!

  5. Erin Mylroie says

    July 13, 2008 at 10:48 am

    The name alons is enticing enough to give them a try.

  6. Katrina says

    July 13, 2008 at 5:41 am

    It looks like the Pillsbury Bake Off will be on Food Network tonight. FYI

  7. Janet says

    July 12, 2008 at 8:12 pm

    I was wondering if your Oatmeal Gingersnap cookies would be a good candidate too? I was planning on making those for the care package.

  8. Clumbsy Cookie says

    July 12, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    I hope all goes well with your friend. I'm allways looking for nice cookies that travel weel, because bouth my 2 sisters live far (Brazil and Italy) and I like to send them homemade cookies.

  9. Chris C-L says

    July 12, 2008 at 3:43 pm

    My grandma used to bake these to send to my cousin when he was in the Army. She used to pack them in empty, well cleaned, Pringles cans then put them in a box to ship. That meant the rest of us grandkids ate a lot of Pringles.

  10. HeartofGlass says

    July 12, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    Most importantly of all, good luck and godspeed to your friend, Anna.

    You may have seen this before, but there is a list of cookies well-suited for shipping--some of which you've made (and perfected) before.
    http://www.bakingdelights.com/2007/11/13/christmas-countdownthe-40-best-cookie-recipes-for-shipping/

  11. Katrina says

    July 12, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    I made a banana oatmeal cookie a few weeks ago and these seemed to hold up the best just being in an airtight container on the counter for the longest amount of time. (It was when I'd made four different oatmeal cookies in one day.)
    http://kevnkoi.blogspot.com/2008/06/okay-so-i-am-baking-fool.html

    The recipe was from Baking Bites. Here:
    http://bakingbites.com/2006/05/banana-oatmeal-cookies/
    I'm not saying they would package and ship well, but interesting that they were good the longest. Shortening may be better than butter though, huh.
    I love a "kitchen sink" cookie, as these almost seem. (I wouldn't put chocolate with raisins in the same cookie either.)
    These look good.

  12. Joanna says

    July 12, 2008 at 12:44 pm

    I'm gonna have to try these because I'm an Angel Baker for the U.S. military and I'm always looking for baked goods that ship well. I sent your Levain Copy Cat Cookies in July and the Macadamia Butterscotch Blondies in June. Hopefully, these arrived in Iraq in good condition because they tasted AMAZING! I'm not sure if freezing the baked goods would help before sending them out(I just thought of it).

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Hello!

I'm Anna, and welcome to Cookie Madness. To learn more about me, check the About page.

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