Great Cookie Swap 2014 Recipe

For the fourth year, The Chocolate Cult is participating in the Great Cookie Swap that benefits Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Food bloggers around the world swap cookies and try new recipes in the process of helping children fight these afflictions. I found the recipe I based my cookie in an old Land O'Lakes spiral bound cookbook.  I found bananas on sale and even had a coupon for them so these seemed like an awesome test to make.  I bought holiday themed tins and packed the cookies with baking style tissue paper in various designs.

Chocolate Banana Cookies
By TammyJo Eckhart, PhD

Ingredients for Cookies:
4 medium bananas, very ripe
1.5 C white granulated sugar
3 sticks butter (1.5 C) softened
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 C raw cocoa powder
2 1/3 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C mini chocolate Chips

Directions for Cookies:
1. Pre-heat oven 350°F and grease the top of large cookie sheets.

2. Cut or tear up bananas into small pieces and place into large mixing bowl.

3. Add in sugar, salt, and vanilla. Cut butter into small slices and add to mixture. Blend on medium until smooth until bananas are in a smooth semi-liquid state.

4. Add in cocoa powder and blend on low for one minute.  Scrap sides of bowl and turn speed to medium until it is all a smooth mixture.

5. Add in flour 1/3 cup at a time and blend on medium-high until stiff dough.

6. Blend in mini chocolate chips.

7. Using a small spoon or scoop place dough on greased cookie sheet.  Flatten out the balls of dough with the floured bottom of a glass cup -- this will make a flour color on the top but it won't affect the flavor and otherwise the cookies will not spread much on their own.

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on how crisp you like your cookie.

9. Remove from oven and place cookies to cool on paper covered table or counter top.

10. Eat and enjoy!

These do have a strong banana flavor so if you do not like bananas these are not for you.  The cocoa flavor is also very strong with little pops of the chips. You can increase the amount of chips but I wouldn't go over another 1/2 cup unless you want to risk the melting chips changing the texture too much.  At 12 minutes they have a brownie like texture without oil or eggs however. Each cookie has approximately 85 calories each, the vast majority of those calories from the butter.

I hope that the three people I sent cookies to from Sweet Potato Bites, NY Foodgasm, and The Dinner-Mom.

The return cookies/bar I received were Easy Oatmeal Lace Cookies from The Dinner-Mom, Salted Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Cookies from Majorly Delicious, and Easy Holiday Chocolate Chip Cookies from JavaCupcake.