Banana-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm fully aware that this has been the spring/summer of oatmeal cookie variations for me.  Why?  Well, oatmeal is inexpensive, adds a bit of healthiness (or perceived healthiness?), and it makes for a cookie that is a COOKIE.  By that I mean, you feel like you actually just ate a cookie, so it is harder to mindlessly inhale a bunch.  This is a good thing when pandemic baking.  

Also--and this is probably the most important--most oatmeal cookie doughs seem to taste better if they are let to sit (refrigerated or even frozen) before you bake them.  On the one hand, this means planning in advance.  On the other hand: then you can have fresh baked cookies whenever you want them, in whatever quantity you need/want.  One deliciously warm cookie as a treat on a particularly bad day?  Don't mind if I do!

The original version of this recipe didn't call for chocolate chips and the cookies were completely respectable, tasty cookies.  (The smidge of clove is actually really good in them, so don't skip that unless you are totally out or...like...really hate cloves.)  

But then I got to thinking about what might make them even better.  Nuts would be the typical choice, but they can be divisive.  And might that seem kind of just like banana bread in cookie form?  So I decided to go with chocolate chips.  That was good, but mini chocolate chips were even better when I tried them instead!  

This recipe is a good one for using up spotted bananas, especially if you don't feel like making bread/muffins.  The banana flavor really comes through, too, so don't do these if you aren't actually a banana fan!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 

1 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mashed bananas*

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups mini chocolate chips, or whatever looks about good to you (2 cups was maybe 3/4 of a bag, but you could use anywhere from a half to a full bag.)

* This was more than 2 of the bananas I had on hand, but less than 3 bananas.  Bananas vary wildly in size, y'all.

Directions:

1. Mix together butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and mashed bananas.  (I used a hand mixer, just to get it all creamy)
2. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, cornstarch, and salt, and mix together
3. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. (Do this by hand)
4. Cover and refrigerate dough for a few hours to overnight (No freezer at this point.  We'll get to that later!)

To bake immediately:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or aluminum foil
3. Spoon out tablespoons of dough, make them round-ish and then flatten slightly into disks.
4. Space 2 inches apart on cookie sheet, as they will spread some
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set and edges turn golden
6. Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to finish cooling

To freeze and bake later:

1. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (don't use foil for this freezing part, it can get stuck to the cookies)
2. Make dough disks as above, but put as close together as possible
3. Put second layer of parchment and dough discs
4. Place cookie sheet in freezer overnight
5. Separate disks with parchment paper and store in freezer in ziploc-type bag/bags
6. Thaw and bake as above, or bake straight from frozen for a couple of extra minutes.