Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Casey Elsass for Food Network Kitchen

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 2 hr 20 min (includes chilling time)
  • Active: 30 min
  • Yield: 12 cookies
All the best parts of chocolate chip cookies — chewy, crispy and tons of chocolate chips — meet all the tender moistness of banana bread in a perfect treat that straddles both worlds. We start off with a bang by simultaneously caramelizing a banana and browning butter for unmatched depth of flavor. From there, it’s just one bowl, two baking sheets and a little patience while the dough chills. But the result is worth the journey for a cookie that’s equally appropriate for dessert and breakfast alike.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until foaming. While the butter melts, slice the banana in half across, then in half lengthwise to create 4 long pieces. Once the butter is melted and foaming, swirl the skillet and place the banana pieces cut-side down in the butter.
  2. Sauté the bananas, swirling the skillet occasionally, until nicely caramelized on the bottom and the butter smells rich and toasted and is deep golden-brown (see Cook's Note), 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the bananas and browned butter to a small bowl and add the cinnamon. Use a fork to mash the banana.
  3. Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl and use the whisk to break up and incorporate the sugars into the flour. Add the egg, vanilla extract and the banana mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and then the walnuts if using and stir until just combined.
  4. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all the dough into the center of the bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on top of the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. (The flavors will intensify as the dough chills.)
  5. Meanwhile, evenly position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 rimmed baking sheets thoroughly with more butter.
  6. Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop 6 mounds of dough (or have each one be 3 tablespoons) onto each prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each scoop. Bake the cookies, turning the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are very puffy and slightly domed, 12 to 14 minutes. (The centers will settle as they cool.) Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Store the cookies at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Cook’s Note

Butter can go from browned to burnt in a flash, so it’s important to stand guard over your skillet. The butter should smell warm, rich, and toasted with a deep golden-brown color. When in doubt, pull the skillet from the heat. It’s always better to under-toast than to push it too far!