Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies

Born of too many ripe bananas that the kids said they wanted and then refused to eat, I decided to make a cookie for the underslept adults in the house. Part inspired by the internet craze, part a love letter to Little Motivators, these gorgeous and simple babes are coincidentally GF and Vegan if you choose the right chocolate and use one of my favorite newfound snacking and baking loves, Smucker’s natural PB.

I’ve somehow fallen into this relative “health kick” in my baking adventures and am making all kinds of new friends because of it. The ol’ bod says “thank you,” too!

Honestly this dough is so tasty, you don’t have to rush it into the oven, but it’s one cookie dough I love to bake so it’s easier to share on a road trip, carpool afternoon or hike/run/bike kind of moment with friends. The baked cookies freeze marvelously, too.

Instant Coffee or Espresso Powder

What grows together, goes together! Coffee not only gives a great kick to your baked good, it becomes both the star and the supporting character for these cookies (amidst a crew of tropically grown ingredients). It’s both unexpected and an absolute pleasure. If you ever want to 

Peanut Butter

Even the no sugar, all natural kind has so many natural thickening qualities which make using in a recipe super fun because you get more flavor and fat without needing things like butter and flour to help flavor, moisturize and give your baked good shape. Peanut Butter, or any nut butter will do here, as you’ll quickly see, it’s less about the peanut butter flavor and more about the functionality of the ingredient, with the banana, chocolate and espresso the real stars of this show

Rrripe Bananas

Anyone who has ever purchased a banana knows: they are masters of disguise. When you pick one up at the store it may be a little green, indicating it’s not quite ripe yep - which is fine, you’ve got time… or so you think! 9 times out of 10 you place the banana in your fruit basket with hopes and dreams of coming back to it for a tasty snack only to find that magically overnight the banana has gone completely brown. But wait - that brown banana has life in it still! Rrripe bananas (see the top banana above) are perfect for banana baking so don’t toss em. Bag them up and put them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake!

If you find it impossible to wait, buy bananas, and throw them in the freezer, peel on, in an airtight container to age for 2 days or up to 2 weeks (freezing speeds up the ripening process and ensures you don’t get any weird banana trail of liquid, fruit flies, etc. Defrost them in the microwave, remove the peel and go!

Middle banana, you’re still not there- put her in a paper bag and trap her in with some apples or another ripe fruit overnight.

If you’re living the bottom banana life, you’ve still got a few days before using whichever direction you take. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies

Makes 8 cookies

2 rrrrripe bananas

3/4 cup peanut butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup chocolate chips, chunks, nuts…whatever you’re feeling.

Heat oven to 350F and line or grease one baking sheet.

In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together bananas, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Measure all dry ingredients into bowl then stir together and into the wet ingredients below until well combined. Stir in chocolate and/or nuts.

Scoop onto baking sheets 2-inches apart and bake at 350F for 6-8 minutes where cookies will puff and crackle in the oven. Let cool completely on baking sheet. I love to crush one still warm with the chocolate chips still melty :)