Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies...whew that's a mouthful! But a yummy mouthful, if I do say so myself! Once again, I had some overripe bananas and wanted to try something different with them. I searched through all my cookbooks and found this recipe. It's perfect since I had all the ingredients in my pantry (love when that happens!) and could whip up a batch immediately. The dough is super soft which makes for a super, soft cookie!

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips (I used Hershey's special dark chips)
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together until well combined. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the the butter and both sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just combined.

Mix in the chocolate chips and oats. By hand, mix in the banana pieces until they are evenly distributed and some of the pieces are mashed but still visable.

Drop cookie dough on prepared cookie sheets. Make the spoonfuls as large as you want your cookies. Space the cookies at least 2 inches apart. Bake one cookie sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and tops look dry, about 18 minutes.

Cool the cookies on a baking sheet for 10 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Source: The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook