Banana toffee bit cookies

Banana toffee bit cookies

As a food blogger, I should be posting about Thanksgiving recipes right about now.
I mean, everyone else is.

Which is exactly why I'm posting about cookies instead.

Now, don't misinterpret my meaning. I love Thanksgiving; it's my ultimate favorite holiday.  Any day that is all about eating good food, spending time with people you love and being grateful for all the crap you already have, rather than just running out to buy more crap that no one needs, is a perfect day in my book.

(True story: when we tried to eliminate the adult gift-giving on my side of the family a few years ago, my dad threw a hissy fit because, as he put it, "Christmas is all about gifts: just look at the wise men!" Sigh.)

But I swear, if I see one more picture of turkey or sweet potatoes in my news feed, I may scream.

So today I share with you a very unholiday-ish cookie recipe.

I bought a bag of too-ripe bananas at the store the other day (six bananas for 19 cents -- what a deal!), and have been using them up in creative ways. (One of my latest faves: mash up a banana, mix it with a bunch of peanut butter and shmear it on a toasted waffle -- super easy breakfast to go.)

I found a recipe for banana chocolate chip cookies, which is what I originally intended to make. But then I remembered that I had a bag of Heath Bar chips in the pantry.

Yowza.

Anyone can mix bananas and chocolate -- we know it's a good combination -- but the chocolately toffee is out of this world. It gives the cookie a little bit of buttery crunch while keeping it from being overly sweet. I also made a batch that included both chocolate chips and toffee bits; it was good, too, but the toffee-only batch was definitely superior.

(Tip: Carefully squeeze and bruise the banana all around with your fingers, being careful not to split the peel. When you open the peel, the banana is all pre-mashed for you!)

Maybe I should start a campaign to replace traditional Thanksgiving dessert pies with these cookies instead. (Especially since I hate pie.)

Who's with me?

Banana Toffee Bit Cookies (adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, who adapted it from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large mashed banana
1 cup old-fashioned oats (not the quick kind)
1 cup toffee bits (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup toffee bits)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare your baking trays (I line mine with parchment paper).

In a small bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients and set it aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and two sugars. Add the applesauce, egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Next, add the banana and blend well. Add the flour mixture until mix until combined. Lastly, on the lowest speed, mix in the oats and toffee bits.

Drop the batter by large scoopfuls (I use a 1 1/2 tablespoon dough scoop) onto the baking trays (they don't spread very much) and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden. Cool on the pans for about 3-4 minutes, then place cookies on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.