Pin Win: Banana Bread Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Been meaning to make this banana bread chocolate chunk cookie recipe ever since my FB friend Carol-in-Omaha posted it right before the holidays.  She'd won first place in a baking contest for them.  Then I gave the recipe to my dear friend-and-college-roomie Angie when she needed a recipe that utilized bananas because she had a bumper crop of them in her freezer, so I sent it to her.  The next day she told me that she and her daughter ended up eating a quite a bit of the batter because it was just so darn good.  

I finally had enough overripe bananas so I went ahead and tried them.

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2-3)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups quick or old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 375° degrees F.

In medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl beat butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add brown sugar and then beat additional 2 minutes. Beat in banana, eggs and vanilla, just until combined.

Stir in flour mixture.

Stir in oats, nuts (if desired-I excluded them) and chocolate chunks.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for one minute before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

I got about 63 cookies, and I also used walnuts instead of pecans.  Also, I put the blobs of dough on the baking sheet and they stayed that way.  My first dozen were overdone because I had to mash them down and leave them in a little longer because they never spread out on their own.  

They taste much better than they look.