Forever cookies
I originally made this for Valentine's day, but my version of a romantic cooking playlist is somewhat more...evergreen and definitely has a sense of humor. To wit, Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher," Cardi B's "Please Me," Sam Smith's "Dancing with a Stranger." Let your hair down.
I buy bananas for one purpose: to watch them go brown and spotty, which is my cue to make either banana bread OR my all-time favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies. (Sometimes, I will actually eat a banana before it has overripened, but then I feel like I've wasted it. It won't have reached its full potential.)
My favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies are the "banana everything" cookies from NYT Cooking's Alex Witchel. They happen to be vegan, but rather than taking away from their appeal that fact actually adds to it. They're simple to put together, the ingredients almost always on-hand. And by now I've made these so many times that I automatically double the batch and freeze half of the scooped and unbaked cookie dough balls for random one-off bakes when I'm desperate for a cookie or two.
The recipe is also, drum roll, an excellent template for adding and experimenting and playing. The basics stay the same, but the flavors are all to your taste. Here are my 5 top ways to make these cookies.
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1. With almond flour and almond extract
Ok, so to recap. Sometimes I make banana almond chocolate chip cookies that happen to be vegan and low-gluten. Yes, don't mind if I do. Almond flour in place of the all-purpose flour, almond extract alongside the vanilla extract, and voila. Keep in mind that almond extract is quite a strong flavor, a little goes a long way. Use half the amount of vanilla extract for the almond and you're all set.
2. Zero walnuts, more chocolate chips
If you read my letters very closely, you may know that I hate walnuts. Those waxy, chalky, bitter brain-shaped, always-stale nuts don't even enter my kitchen. In this recipe, I'll nix the walnuts and add more dark chocolate chips instead. I love a cookie that has the chocolate oozing out. I'll do 3/4 cup chocolate chips and zero cups walnuts, rather than what's written.
3. With sea salt and butter
Every so often, I will make these non-vegan. Now, if you are vegan, or want these to stay as such, you could replace the oil with sea salt vanilla coconut butter. If veganism is not key, an equal amount (1/3 cup) of room temperature butter is all you need. It adds richness, creaminess. And a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie dough mound before they go into the oven is mandatory. For any and every iteration.
4. With espresso and cardamom
Using Sam Adler's awesome recipe as inspiration, I have made these with a touch of espresso to great success. It's that classic combination where the coffee makes the chocolate flavor more chocolate-y. And when I add coffee, I'll do a pinch of cardamom in place of the cinnamon in the recipe. 1/4 teaspoon is as much as you'll need of the cardamom. Truly, some excellent flavors in there: cardamom, coffee, banana, chocolate.
5. Absolutely enormous, a la Levain Bakery
I have a number of ice cream scoops that are used exclusively for scooping cookie dough balls. One of them is huge (I bought the wrong size, on accident), but I had to try it with this cookie dough. And so I did and have not turned back. If you've never heard of NYC's Levain Bakery, they are well known for their giant and insanely delicious cookies. The outside is cooked and golden brown, the inside is tender and smooshy. This recipe bears little resemblance flavor-wise, but if you bake these in large mounds, you'll find a similarly addictive and magical texture.
THE SHOP
There's one way I've not yet tried this recipe... As edibles. Using my friend Stephanie's cookbook, Edibles, you could make these totally un-kid-friendly with the addition of a low dose of cannabis.
Serve them with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee, as I often do. They are perfectly perfect with a fresh brewed cup of Brazilian coffee or herbal rooibos tea, both of which give slightly sweet notes of vanilla, almond, berries, and honey.
Play with the flavors. Banana and peanut butter. Or a swirl of tahini or my favorite, cashew butter. Maybe use chunks of white chocolate instead. See what happens.
Signing off with love and a great smelling kitchen,
If you're buying the tea anyway, may as well make a cocktail too.
Via @palaisdesthesusa