Banana Bread Cookies

I was tired of making my usual banana chocolate chip muffins so I wanted to try something new.  These were delicious!  The original recipe called for sliced bananas, but I used mashed because I had them in the freezer.  I loved how soft and moist these came out.

Banana Bread Cookies (original recipe here from With a Cherry on Top)

1 1/4 cups Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Egg
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3 Bananas, chopped (I used mashed.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar for around 1 minute, until it starts to have a crumbly texture. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue beating for about another minute, until mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Add in half of the flour mixture and blend in at a low speed. Add in the remaining flour mixture and continue blending in on low. Add in the oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix until evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Mix in the mashed banana.

Using a tablespoon, drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until the edges are lightly browned (about 15 minutes). Cool on a cooling rack.

Store in an air-tight container or resealable bag for up to 4 days (or longer if kept refrigerated).

Sweet & Salty Granola

I have tried MANY different granola recipes.  I've liked them all to some extent, but when I made this one, I stopped searching.  This is the only granola recipe I will use now.  This was the first time I used olive oil in a granola recipe and it really made a difference.  I make this almost every week to use for breakfast or snacks.    You won't be sorry if you try this recipe!

Sweet & Salty Granola  (Adapted from The New York Times)

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup dried cranberries (or any dried fruit)

3/4 cup wheat germ

1 cup of chopped nuts (I use peanuts or almonds)

3/4 cup maple syrup (I've used regular syrup, which is fine, but maple really makes a difference.)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts and fruit.  Mix in the maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

In a bowl, whist the egg white for about 2 minutes, until it becomes foamy.  Mix into the rest of the ingredients.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Press the granola mixtures down into the pan evenly.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until slightly browned.

Once it is cooled completely, I break into clusters and store in Ziploc bags.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are hands-down my favorite muffins.  I stumbled across a blog called For the Love of Cooking and found this recipe.  The muffins come out moist and delicious and are easy to make.  They are also a good way to use up ripe bananas.  I make these all the time!

***I have recently discovered that if you have very ripe bananas that are in danger of becoming rotten, put them in the freezer before then.  The peels will turn black, but when you take them out and peel them, they will be ready to use.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins original recipe here 

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large, very ripe bananas
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, white sugar and brown sugar until well combined. In another bowl, mix the egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla and mushed bananas until mixed thoroughly. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Don't overmix. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and a tester inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Cool completely before storing.