For a while, all Mr. Food Musings would eat was bananas. Thanks to some generous friends, we ended up with mounds of them all over the kitchen, and I realized yesterday that they had started ripening at a speed that far outpaced Mr. FM's appetite. Nothing to do but make cookies. This recipe is pretty wholesome, so if you need a shot of decadence (and let's face it, who doesn't at 10 in the morning?) I'd throw in a half cup of jumbo chocolate chips along with the nuts at the end.
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen
3/4 cup butter, softened but not melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg (or egg beater), beaten
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated if you have it
1 3/4 cups oats
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 pieces of fruit)
1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds and/or unsalted cashews), toasted and roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat until just blended. Stir together sifted flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and oats. Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat until well blended. Add in bananas and squoosh with your fingers or a wooden spoon to work it into the dough. Add nuts and stir. Drop by the teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown and semi-firm to the touch.
These are REALLY good fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk...or a cup of coffee!
Posted by: Mom | February 07, 2006 at 01:05 PM
How very brilliant of you! I only ever think of making banana bread when my bananas get all brown and funky.
Posted by: Joy | February 07, 2006 at 03:47 PM
I agree what a great idea. Casey is a bannana fiend!
Posted by: clare eats | February 07, 2006 at 05:00 PM
All the credit goes to Mom, who sent this (and another) recipe to me when I was complaining of our bananas largesse. I still have all the ingredients around, and more bananas, and fear that a chocolate-y version is calling out to me, strongly...
Posted by: Catherine | February 07, 2006 at 07:34 PM
They look slightly healthy too, thats a bonus!! Well done.
Posted by: gastroChick | February 07, 2006 at 11:22 PM
Leave out the nuts and leave in the chocolate for me. My mother has been making them like that for years and I love them. Maybe if she did the same for her banana bread I'd eat it. *S*
Posted by: Nerissa | February 07, 2006 at 11:26 PM
GastroChick -- they are pretty healthy, actually, and if you used some applesauce in place of some of the butter they'd be even more so.
Nerissa -- There's a thought... chocolate-banana muffins. Perhaps I'll make some with my next batch of aging 'nanas!
Posted by: Catherine | February 08, 2006 at 02:42 PM
Yum. Definitely leave in the chocolate for me. An alternative to this recipe is slathering a banana with nutella and eating it.
Posted by: Mina | February 09, 2006 at 03:56 AM
Mina -- I love it, you're such a deconstructionist!!!
Posted by: Catherine | February 09, 2006 at 09:44 AM
These sound/look great!
Posted by: Isil | February 09, 2006 at 01:09 PM
Isil -- thanks for stopping by all the way from Turkey! You should try them -- they're really easy to make and quite delicious.
Posted by: Catherine | February 09, 2006 at 07:52 PM
I once made cookies very similar to these, except i was going for a tropical taste, inspired by a cookie from a Chicago bakery. They included chopped dried mangos (a bit too dry, so i revived them in orange juice), shaved coconut, chopped ginger, dried ginger, and a dried banana slice on top of each one.
Posted by: Maya | March 12, 2007 at 06:22 PM
I love these! I made a couple of modifications because I needed to use them up (along with my way over ripe bananas).
I added about 1/4 cup craisins, and 1/4 cup of choc.chips. I only had a cup of oats, but they turned out wonderful!!
Posted by: Ally | August 24, 2007 at 07:07 PM
I made these with half whole wheat flour and a tiny bit of chocolate, no nuts, for my grandson's 2nd birthday. They didn't last long. Thanks Catherine J Idaho
Posted by: Catherine J | February 01, 2008 at 12:10 PM