Banana- Chocolate Chunk Cookies

A banana cake with chocolate chips that I prepared not long ago (recipe here) made me completely reconsider the use of bananas for making cakes and other sweet baked goods. Since then I am not worried anymore when bananas I buy start becoming overripe...I can always use them to prepare something good for breakfast!
Bananas makes baked goods particularly moist and flavorful (bananas have their own peculiar flavor that is not easy to hide) and absolutely pleasant...These cookies are a combination of two bakery most beloved classics: chocolate chip cookies (who doesn't love them?) and banana bread. The result is really enjoyable: a light crust encloses a soft pastry enriched, both in flavor and texture, by pieces of chocolate and rolled oats (the original recipe calls also for walnuts, that I cannot eat and don't like and therefore omitted). The recipe comes from "Cookies" by Martha Stewart, a book I love as it gives me great inspirations: this time I just eliminated walnuts and reduced butter and sugar (as I do most of the times I follow an American recipe). Absolutely worth trying!

Banana- Chocolate Chunk Cookies

adapted from "Cookies" by Martha Stewart

125 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour

60 g (1/2 cup) whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

130 g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

65 g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar

70 g (1/3 cup) packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

100 g (1/2 cup) mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

90 g (1 cup) old-fashioned rolled oats

225 g  semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 0,6 cm chunks

Note: the original recipe called also for 60 g (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped walnut, toasted, that I omitted as I can't eat (and don't even like so much) walnuts. You can add them if you like.  

Preheat oven to 190°C (375 °F). Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into a bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy (you can do it by hand or using an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed). Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined (on low speed if using the electric mixer). Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks (and walnuts if using).

Using  an ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 4 cm apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days or frozen.