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I don’t know what you’re feelings are on this, but in our home baked goods are often eaten for breakfast. Not by me though. Yes, CK has a serious morning sweet tooth. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, or pie are all fair game in his eyes. His rational for consuming sugar laden treats before 9:00 AM is as follows: if I can eat a muffin, why can’t I eat a cookie? I don’t know guys…it makes sense to him. So while I’m choking down Grape Nuts or a Sweet & Salty Granola bar, he digs into a plate of cookies and a tall glass of milk. At least he chases it all with a multi-vitamin.

Instead of discouraging his habit though, I’m an enabler and make recipes like this one for Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. At the very least this cookie has some actual breakfast appropriate aspects to it (hello?! bananas! oatmeal!). I might even go so far as to call it a “breakfast cookie” if that label takes away any guilt we might feel after secretly scarfing down this amazing concoction in the wee hours of the morning.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Elinor Klivans’s The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook published by Chronicle Books

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oatmeal (not quick-cooking)
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 bananas, cut into 1/4 to1/3 inch pieces

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper (Note: I just used a silpat).

In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Use a large spoon to mix in the banana pieces, mixing just until they are evenly distributed and some of the pieces are mashed but most are still visible, about 20 seconds.

Use a tablespoon to drop heaping spoonfuls of dough (about 3 level tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart. Note: I used a large scoop.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, than use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container, layered between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature for up to 3 days.