My Cooking Love Affair: Indiana Jones and The Lost Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

(preview of Maggie’s Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies, scroll down for the recipe!)

My mom and sister have an obsession with Chocolate Chip Banana Blizzards from Dairy Queen, which isn’t even on the menu. Apparently a secret way you can order it, is ask for the C^2 B^2 (pronunciation( c-square, b-square). In fact, they have converted me!

So you can only imagine the excitement that occurred, when my mom and I were on a pre-college visit to Indiana University and we stopped in a little bakery in the Union called Sugar and Spice and they had… chocolate chip banana cookies. Little did we know our lives would change. Maybe not change, but it began a four year search for the perfect recipe.

The problem became apparent the next time I went to Sugar and Spice as a little freshman; there were no chocolate chip banana cookies in the display! When I asked if there were any available, the workers looked at me like I was absolutely crazy and knew nothing about the amazing chocolate chip banana cookies.

Ever since then, my mom and I have been searching for the secret recipe for the perfect chocolate chip banana cookies. We have been experimenting; sometimes they came out brownie-like and others were hard as bricks, not enough banana-taste, etc.

However, I tried not to be too hopeful when I recently came across a new recipe. I adapted it slightly from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen blog (You should definitely check her out, she is amazing!). This one was very unusual from the others because instead of using only all purpose flour, you use a combination of it with whole wheat flour. Very important!

The cookies took about 20 minutes total to make and when I tried my first one, I immediately called my mom screaming. After I had assured her that everything was fine and that I had just found the recipe for the cookies, she said that she would have to taste it to believe it.

I sent her and the rest of the family a box of them to be my taste testers. The result- I’ve barely been home a day and I’ve been requested to make more.

The best is somehow they continue to be maintain that straight out-of-the oven soft and chewy quality even after a couple days.

Notes:
Instead of chopping a baking chocolate bar, I just used 1 cup of chocolate chips. In addition, I used 1 1/2 mushed bananas instead of one.

The old-fashioned rolled oats– easy to find just look for a quaker oats box that says it.

Drumroll please….

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt -(Kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened   
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1.5 large)
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
   
2. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer/stand mixer to cream butter and sugars on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
3. Reduce speed to low and add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. 
4. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.
5. 
   Using a spoon, make 1-1 1/2 inch drops of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. 
6. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 13 minutes. 
7. Let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes and then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.  
   
   
    

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