Banana-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I started listening to Smiths at the age of 9 and even though I understood nothing Morrissey said those songs made a strange kind of sense to me – I ended up learning why later on in life. Music became a huge part of my days and brought me comfort in several bad moments.

Besides listening to the songs, I loved checking out the LP covers – some were absolutely fantastic. I became obsessed about one in particular – Whitesnake’s “Slide it in” – which is really funny, since I’ve always hated snakes. The 13 year-old me could not resist David Coverdale singing – to this day I think he has the most beautiful male voice ever.

Another one of my obsessions is baking cookies, but that you already know. These are from Liz’s gorgeous blog.

Banana-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

1 ¾ cup (200g) quick-cooking rolled oats – I used thin rolled oats
1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (175g) firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (170g/6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 medium-sized ripe but firm banana, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped whole almonds

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF; Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until blended. At low speed, add the flour mixture one-third at a time, mixing just until blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the semisweet morsels, banana, and almonds (it’s all right if the banana pieces get a little mashed) – I incorporated everything in the mixer in the lowest speed.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonsfuls* onto the prepared sheets, spacing the cookies 5cm (2 inches) apart. Moisten your palm to prevent sticking and flatten the mounds of dough slightly. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 11 to 13 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom – mine needed 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes about 52 cookies

* I used 1 ½ heaping tablespoons of dough per cookie and got 34.