Recipe : Eggless Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies and milk and wintery morning sun. What a perfect way to end daylight savings time! While everyone else was snuggled away in bed, under blankets and tucked into flanneled pajamas, my boy and I snuck into the kitchen, unwrapped the butter left overnight on the cool marble counter to soften, and began measuring out ingredients.

In the early darkness of the chilly fall weather that finally snuck up on us and hopefully won’t sneak away too soon—we warmed the oven and snuggled against one another, rubbing cold noses and smelling like winter. The house was quiet except for our movements that echoed against the bare wood floors and were silenced by the motors of the mixer and the spice grinder. Faucets poured forth cold water and we smiled against the extra shivers, enjoying the novelty of trying to warm ourselves up after months of competing against the aggressive Florida heat.

Vanilla and maple extracts, rolled oats, brown sugar. Pack it down and then scoop it out. Into the stand mixer it all went, my boy proud and honored to be awake early, not having to share turns with his sister turning the mixer on and off. Sides of the bowl scraped down, parchment paper unfurled and flattened onto the baking sheets. Tablespoon by tablespoon the batches inched towards readiness.

Here’s how you can recreate this moment in the early hours of your own 40 degree morning…

Recipe : Eggless Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

(makes about 5-6 dozen)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tspn baking soda

3 sticks salted butter

1 cup evaporated cane sugar or turbinado sugar

1 packed cup brown sugar

2 tbs flax eggs

1 tbs vanilla extract

1-1/2 tspn maple extract

3 medium sized ripe bananas

3 cups rolled oats

2-1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Mix together flours, salt, baking soda in a bowl

3) In a food processor or with a mixer, cream together sugar, bananas and butter

4) Combine all wet and dry ingredients, excluding: oats, nuts, chips.

5) When well combined, add remaining ingredients.

6) Drop dough by the tablespoon onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

7) Bake sheets 10-13 minutes. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack.

**Cookies baked until barely golden will have a more cake like texture. Cookies baked until brownish will resemble a crunchy but not hard cookie.**