a.k.a the best banana chocolate chip walnut cookies
Inspired by Ben & Jerry’s cult ice cream flavor Chunky Monkey, this cookie is all about that classic trio: bananas, walnuts, and chocolate chips. But what makes these cookies so special and extra flavorful is the inclusion of caramelized bananas. Slicing up a banana and sautéing it in a bit of butter until it caramelizes adds so much depth and complexity to these cookies. Trust me, they are a must try!
Tips for Leveling Up Banana Choc. Chip Cookies
- Ripe Banana: to get that ultra rich and complex banana flavor, you’ll want to use a very ripe banana for this. But in a pinch, you can use a banana that’s just a few days ripe but you might need to sauté it a bit longer.
- Caramelizing the banana: this is what puts the gourmet in this recipe and takes these cookies to a whole other level! Just peel and slice up the banana and heat a sauté pan up to medium and add a tablespoon of butter. Once the pan is warm, add the banana slices (make sure they’re laying flat). Wait 4-5 minutes until they are slightly browned on one side and flip over. After 3-4 minutes they should be super soft and slightly browned.
- Chocolate Chips: I used semisweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli), but feel free to use any kind of chocolate chip. If using dark chocolate, I would increase the sugar in the recipe by a tablespoon or two.
- Cocoa Powder: Even though there’s only a tablespoon of it in here, it enhances the chocolate flavors in the cookie.
- Heavy Cream: Just one tablespoon is used, but it does help soften the cookie. In a pinch, you could add one egg yolk instead.
- When to Bake: To get the best flavor out of these cookies, I HIGHLY recommend refrigerating the dough overnight. You can bake them off after just one or two hours of refrigeration if you’re tight on time (they will still tase great!), but the flavors meld even more overnight.
- Shaping the Cookies:
- When you’re ready to bake, I recommend using a tablespoon cookie scooper for getting a really nice sphere. I use this cookie scooper from King Arthur but you can find plenty of others at Amazon or Target. Of course, you can also use a tablespoon measure or a big spoon and they will turn out just as well!
- Once the cookies are in the oven, wait ten minutes and take them out (with an oven mitt!) and tape the tray on the stove or counter. You’ll want to do this a couple of times so that the cookies flatten out a bit more. But do this carefully so you don’t tilt the tray! If you’re not in the tapping mood, these gourmet chunky monkey cookies will turn out just as fine, albeit just a but more puffier in shape.
These gourmet chunky monkey cookies are best the day they are baked but can keep for 2-3 more days in an airtight container.
Gourmet Chunky Monkey Cookies
Gourmet banana bread in cookie form. Caramelized bananas and toasted walnuts enhance the nutty and complex flavors in this delicious cookie.
Equipment
- 2 sheet trays or use one at a time
- 1 tablespoon cookie scooper optional
- 1 saute pan
Ingredients
- 1 very ripe banana
- 1 tbsp butter for sautéing the banana
- 1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 8 tbsp butter room temp
- 1 egg room temp
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts: Heat oven to 350° and place roughly chopped walnuts on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Place in oven for roughly 5 minutes (keep an eye on them, oven times vary). Remove and let cool.
- Caramelizing the banana: Peel and slice the banana. Heat a sauté pan to medium/medium high with a tablespoon of butter. Wait for the butter to melt, then place banana slices in the pan so they lay flat. Without moving them, sauté for about 4-5 minutes. You can peek under them with a fork to see if they're browning enough. Flip them over and brown on the other side, another 3-4 minutes. Once done, turn heat off and scoop bananas on a plate or bowl and mash with fork. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugars (dark brown and cane) with the butter with a handheld mixer. Once fluffy and paler (~3 minutes), add the caramelized banana, heavy cream, vanilla extract and egg. Mix together.
- In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt).
- In two batches, fold in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until just combined.
- Switching to a spatula, mix in the toasted walnuts and chocolate chips until just combined. Cover the bowl and store dough overnight (ideally).
- Once dough is refrigerated, heat oven to 350° and line two baking sheet trays with parchment paper (or use 1 at a time, storing the dough in the fridge in between bakes).
- Take a tablespoon cookie scooper and scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined tray. You should fit 12 cookies on one tray, leaving 3-4 inches of space in between cookies.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes. To achieve that classic flat cookie look, take the tray out of the oven after 10 minutes and tap it a few times on the stove (careful not to tilt the tray!). Place back in oven for remaining 2-3 minutes.
- Once cookies are baked, remove and let cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy! These are best when eaten the day of but can also be store for 2-3 days in an airtight container.