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Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated Jan 21, 2020
summer
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Chocolate chunks, chopped walnuts, and banana chips — once I got the idea in my head to make a cookie version of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream, I couldn’t stop obsessing. With all the ingredients in my cupboard, why prolong the inevitable?
This cookie is a riff on my Favorite Cookie Ever, i.e., chocolate chip cookies, slightly modified from the back-of-the-bag version. There are two things that make this cookie stand out: First, I cut the butter back to just eight tablespoons — which, yes, seems like I’m attempting to be virtuous, but in actuality, it’s just because I think it gives the cookies a chewier texture.
Second, since “chunky” is our aim with these cookies, hand-mixing is our game. I’ve discovered over the course of making a great many cookies that cookies spread less and stay chunkier when mixed by hand than when using a mixer. (This said, if you prefer to use a mixer, that’s fine; your cookies will probably spread a little more, but they’ll still be tasty!)
The banana chips give these cookies an occasional surprise of banana flavor and an interesting crunchiness, but don’t make the cookies overly banana-y. I like this balance, but if you really, truly, absolutely love banana flavor, you’ll want to add a dash of banana extract to amp it up a bit. Look for banana chips in bulk bins or with the dried fruit (I found mine at Trader Joe’s). Banana extract can be found at most kitchen supply stores or online.
A word to the wise and hungry: These cookies make excellent ice cream sandwiches, particularly when paired with 1-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream or peanut butter ice cream. Just sayin’.
Makes about 36 cookies
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup
walnuts
- 3/4 cup
granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup
packed brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2
large eggs
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon
banana extract, optional for stronger banana flavor
- 1 teaspoon
salt
- 1 teaspoon
baking soda
- 2 1/4 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1 cup
semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or 1 6.5-ounce chocolate bar, roughly chopped)
- 3/4 cup
banana chips, roughly chopped (see Recipe Note)
Instructions
Heat the oven to 375°F. Scatter the walnuts over a baking sheet and toast in the warming oven until fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Roughly chop the walnuts while they're still warm and set aside.
Combine the granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon or spatula until thoroughly combined and no lumps of brown sugar remain. Add the softened butter to the bowl and work it into the sugar until you form a gritty, sugary paste. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until no more egg whites remain. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Whisk together the salt, baking soda, and flour in a small bowl. Add this to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl, and stir gently until you've formed a thick dough and you see no more dry flour. Add the chocolate chunks, banana chips, and chopped walnuts, and use a folding motion to incorporate them into the dough. It's OK if some of the chunky pieces fall out.
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon measure to portion ping pong ball-sized gobs of dough (roughly 2 tablespoons) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced an inch or so apart. If any chunky pieces fell out while you were making the dough, press them gently into the tops of the cookies (or just use some extra leftover pieces if you'd like a chunkier appearance!). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies look puffed and the edges are turning a darker shade of toasty brown.
Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. As they cool, the cookies will collapse into craggy, cracked, chunky cookies. Continue baking the cookies in batches until all the dough has been used.
These cookies are best the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container for about a week.
Recipe Notes
Finding banana chips: Look for banana chips in the bulk bin section of grocery stores, or along with the dried fruits. (I found the banana chips for this recipe at Trader Joe's.)
Freezing cookie dough: To freeze unbaked cookie dough, portion the cookies out onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer container. Freeze for up to 3 months. See here for more details: How To Freeze Cookie Dough.
Filed in:
autumn
Baking
Chocolate
Cookie
Dessert
easy
