SKOR! Banana Nut Cookies

What do you do with bananas that are overly ripe? You know, the ones spotted with freckles that are too soft to enjoy solo. Do you make banana bread? or peel and freeze them to use in a morning smoothie? Well stop the presses, here's another idea to consider. Bake some banana bread cookies. These chunky little treats are soft cookies that mimic the taste of a really good banana bread.

An old recipe for banana chocolate chip cookies was my starting point, but crunchy toffee & nut Skor Chipits seemed a better textural match for the soft, mashed banana than any melted chocolate could be. 

Hmmmm, I had my doubts when the first cookies came out of the oven. They looked like lumpy chocolate chip imitations, though the galley was filled with the tantalizing aroma of banana bread. Just one bite banished any lingering concerns about appearance; these cookies were tasty. 

Crisp edges and soft interiors were a popular combination with today's dockside taste-testers. The guys gave them two thumbs up, remarking on the flavor and approving the soft texture. (Thanks Peter & Larry)

The original online recipe stated the cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days. What?! there is no way we're going to eat 3 dozen cookies in 2 days, so I'll test this statement and report back.

Update: on day 3 the cookies had dried some, their middles now chewy instead of fluffy, making them seem even more like banana bread. I enjoy chewy and crispy cookies, but time added a heavier, more dense factor to the texture that was not an improvement. Martha had it right, eat within two days or plan to freeze the excess.

SKOR! Banana Nut Cookies

based on a 2006 Martha Stewart recipe

Yield: 3 to 3.5 dozen
  
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon caramel extract (or more vanilla)
1/2 cup mashed very ripe banana
1 cup Quick rolled oats
1 cup Hershey's SKOR Chipits (toffee & nut chips)
1/2 cup nuts, toasted & rough chopped (almonds, walnuts, pecans, or...)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
2. In a small bowl sift together the flours, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a larger bowl mix together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (a stand mixer makes this step easy). 
4. Add the egg and extracts and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined.
5. Add the mashed banana and mix to incorporate.
6. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined and the flour disappears.
7. Add the rolled oats, toffee pieces and nuts.
8. Use 2 teaspoons to form dough balls and place on the lined cookie sheets spaced 2 inches apart. (I fit 15 cookies per sheet.)
9. Bake on the middle rack of a 375 preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes, rotating the sheets once, until golden brown and just firming up.
10. Remove from the oven and place the sheet on a baking rack for 5 minutes, giving the cookies time to set up properly. (Rush them and they will might wrinkle and fall apart.)
11. Use a wide wire spatula to move the cookies from baking sheet to wire baking racks. Let the cookies cool completely before stacking or storing.