Chocolate banana muffin-top cookies

Chocolate banana muffin-top cookies

Chocolate banana muffin-top cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup mashed overripe banana

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. In a bowl set atop a saucepan half filled with barely boiling water, melt chocolate chips. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Blend in mashed banana and melted chocolate to fully incorporate. Sift in flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir to form a smooth dough. Avoid overmixing. Dough will be very soft. Don't add more flour if it seems too soft/sticky to roll; refrigerate 45 to 60 minutes to firm up.

3. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a spoon and scoop out roughly equal amounts (about a heaping tablespoon) to gently roll with slightly damp hands into 30 balls; place balls on baking sheets an inch apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes and remove immediately to a wire rack to cool.

Tester's notes: Thanks to the banana's moisture, this recipe produces a soft, cakey cookie despite the use of shortening and the high baking temperature. It expands options for using overripe bananas beyond breads and smoothies. The cookies will keep for 3 days, and they freeze well.

What we changed

The flour: We always use whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour with chocolate baked goods. Here, the chocolate and banana mask the flour's stronger flavor for a healthier cookie that's light and airy and still tastes fantastic.

The shape: We did not love the irregular shapes we got from spooning the dough onto baking sheets, so we decided to roll balls. We did not want to introduce more flour or fat, so we tried rolling with damp hands. That worked fine (if the balls have a tan coating, your hands are too wet). When we made the recipe again today (and noticed that we forgot to print the baking temperature), the dough was as soft as frosting -- thanks to warmer weather. After having been refrigerated for 45 minutes, it was as easy to work with as before.

The cooking time: The original cookie recipe had a bake time of 12 minutes. We had burned bottoms at  9 minutes. Taking the cookies out at 8 minutes still produces a fully firm shape that should be removed from the baking sheet right out of the oven to preserve its moist texture.

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The name: The cookies don't spread a lot, so rolling the dough into balls before baking gives them a slightly domed form, which makes them resemble the tops of small muffins.

Nutrition information (per cookie): 69 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated), 6mg cholesterol, 29mg sodium, 9g carbs, 0.3g fiber, 5g sugars, 1g protein

— Adapted from “The Complete Everyday Cookbook;” At Home New Jersey photo