Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can always tell when my mom is stressed.  She's baking.  I happened to inherit the same gene.  My sister, however, did not.  See where I'm going with this?

A few weeks ago I started flipping through my magazine recipe file looking for the weekly menu plan and came across the following recipe.  I had one banana that was threatening to die on the counter and we were planning a grocery store trip that afternoon, so I could pick up everything else I needed.

The cookies remind me of banana bread...with chocolate chips.  They have a bit of a crunch around the edge, but stay very chewy in the middle.  Cooper loved them - he's not been big on sweet stuff so far, but I think these are perfect since the banana makes up part of the sugar and they aren't overly sweet. 

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cooking Light

• 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium size banana)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer.  Add in the egg and beat well.  Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mix until well blended.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets.  Bake for about 15-18 minutes, until they begin to brown on the edges.  Cool slightly on the pans and move to cooling racks to cool completely.