Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

If you haven't already discovered the combination of bananas and chocolate. you are in for a big treat. If you know how delicious bananas and chocolate taste together, you're also in for a big treat. I followed the recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookies. Since the recipe makes lots of cookies, I froze half of them. Although the cookies taste wonderful, their texture is somewhat limp. This didn't seem to be a problem for the eaters I observed. As always, use a very ripe banana for the best flavor.

1 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp. coarse salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

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

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4 inch chunks

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a small bowl, whisk both flours, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and both sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks and walnuts.

Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. (You will have to do a second batch in this way). Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen

Notes: I combined all ingredients by hand as I don't have a standing mixer. I used chocolate chips instead of coarsely chopped chocolate.