To me, cookies are perfect. They’re relatively easy to make and usually come out delicious every time. Worry-free baking at its best that ends with a soft cookie melting in your mouth. So it’s surprising that this the first real cookie post. Maybe it’s because we throw the ingredients together, slap them in the oven and then promptly shove the treats in our mouths. Makes sense. My jeans are fitting tighter lately.

To remedy this, I made a post-it note reminding me to document the cookies (I love post-it notes, they are magical and somehow keep me organized even when they are randomly scattered all over my computer monitor). Lucky for me, some brown speckled bananas gave me the opportunity to share one of my new favourite cookie recipes, compliments of Martha Stewart.

Actually, in all honesty the bananas just helped me choose the cookie recipe. The actual desire to make cookies stemmed from a disastrous attempt at making Kolaches. The dough for the Kolache was a complete failure and I was enraged after putting all that effort into trying making it work. Ugh. It makes me ill thinking about it. But don’t you worry, I am gearing up for round two tomorrow morning. So lookout Kolache, I am coming for you! Anyways, in light of my failure, I was craving a fast, easy baking recipe that would ultimately end with comfort food in my belly.

Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk cookies are the cure to heal all woes. They are soft, chewy, sweet, salty and delicious all rolled into a round disc of dough. The first time I made these delicious blobs of cookie, they were gone in a matter of minutes and today was no different. I took my pictures and then they disappeared, but I am sure I will find them in a few days when I can’t fit into my jeans at all! Ha! Just kidding…but not really.

Seriously though, these cookies are not to be missed. So bust out your cookie pans and then we can all go shopping for new pants together.

Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies (From: Martha Stewart’s Cookies, pg 170) 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon coarse salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted, room temperature butter ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract ½ cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large banana) 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into ¼-inch chucks (I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips) ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted (I did NOT toast the walnuts) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together both flours, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Put butter and both sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chunks, and walnuts. Using a 1 ½ inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parachment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.