October 25, 2021
So these (“could be” vegan cookies), check all the boxes. Yes, they use up old bananas that we are always trying to get rid of. Yes, they are chewy and satisfying, and yes, they are one bowl and the only mixing utensil you need is a large fork. They can be put together in literally 10 minutes and will satisfy even the pickiest customer.
It’s funny because out of all the cookies in my repertoire, and I have many, these are the cookies Mia asked me to send to college. I made a batch the other day to send off but they never made it into the saved shoebox for delivery. Eli and Randy had eaten so many of them that there weren’t enough left to send out.
You may read the recipe and wish to leave out the nuts. Nuts are never very popular in my house. I am told they ruin the integrity of the cookie. But not in this cookie. Here they add to the complexity. If you chop the pecans into small pieces you will see what I mean. Also, I tried making these cookies with coconut oil. They do work, but my family complained they were “different” and better the other way. Feel free to make the exchange if you want to give it a try.
Enjoy them, and think of me when you discover how delicious these Banana Everything Cookies really are.
Banana Everything Cookies
Adapted from Alex Witchel of The New York Times
Ingredients
1 very ripe medium banana
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups quick cooking (not instant) oats or rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup chocolate chips (vegan, if desired)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl mash the banana well with a large fork. (I use a serving fork.) Add the oil, sugar and vanilla continuing to mix with your fork. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well moistened.
Add oatmeal, pecans and chocolate chips, mixing well until ingredients are fully incorporated. If the mixture seems to liquidy, add a tablespoon or two more of flour.
Using wet hands, roll the dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball. (I used a tablespoon cookie scoop because I had one, but the wet hands method works too.) Place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. These cookies do not spread.
Bake until slightly browned on top, 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the hot cookie sheet before transferring cookies to a wire cooling rack. If there are any cookies left to put away for later, store them in an airtight container.
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