Banana-Walnut-Chocolate-Chip Cookies

I had a few bananas that were headed over the hill and needed to be used up before they completely turned to mush. My normal go-to recipe would, of course, be banana bread, but I was kind of tired of the same old thing. I found this recipe in Martha Stewart’s Cookies book and fell in love even before I made them. They’re basically a cross between chocolate chip cookies and banana bread – brilliant!

I’ve made a number of recipes from this book and I have to say, it’s definitely a keeper. It’s a cute, little chunky book, measuring in at 7" by 9" and almost an inch thick. It’s packed with 175 recipes and is organized into seven chapters: Light & Delicate, Rich & Dense, Chunky & Nutty, Soft & Chewy, Crisp & Crunchy, Crumbly & Sandy, and Cakey & Tender. And, as if all that wasn’t enough, it includes ideas for packaging and giving away your homemade treats. This book would make an excellent gift for just about anyone. But as long as you’re doing that, you might as well buy one for yourself too!

Click here to download and print a pdf of this recipe:

Banana-Walnut-Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Five Cookbook Recommendations

Everyday Food: Great Food Fast (Vintage)
250 recipes for easy, delicious meals all year long
from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

If you’re a fan of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine and television show, you’ll love Great Food Fast. And if you’re not familiar with either, then let me introduce you to a great resource, organized seasonally and sub-divided into course categories: Soups and Salads, Main Courses, Pastas, Sides, and Desserts. There’s also a helpful Basics chapter that covers Vinaigrettes, Rubs, Herb Sauces and more.

Fresh Food Fast: Delicious, Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hour
by Peter Berley

A well organized, beautifully designed, vegetarian cookbook that provides 48 meals – twelve for each season – including recipes, shopping lists and a game plan to walk you step-by-step through each menu. The meals boast a preparation time of under an hour and utilize techniques and tools that the average cook will have in her repertoire.


Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking
by Heidi Swanson

Heidi Swanson is another great resource that I need to introduce you to. Her blog 101cookbooks.com is a wealth of information, recipes and insights. And her second cookbook, Super Natural Cooking, is a natural extension of her blog. It is a beautiful and well designed book full of gorgeous photography and delicious vegetarian recipes. Rather than organizing by season, Heidi’s book is divided into five interesting chapters: Explore a Wide Range of Grains, Cook by Color, Know Your Superfoods, and Use Natural Sweetners.


Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
Seasonal recipes and stories from a Community Supported Farm
by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics

For all of you Angelic Organic shareholders, you don’t need me to recommend this one! But for everyone else, Farmer John’s Cookbook is a great resource for information on storing and cooking the vegetables that grow on the Angelic Organic farm. But more importantly, it’s a book with stories and anecdotes that give you insight into the people and the process that gets your box of veggies from the ground to your home every week.

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets
by Deborah Madison

From the author of the acclaimed Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison’s latest book Local Flavors is arranged by fruit and vegetable families as they appear in the markets. There is a wide variety of sweet, savory, vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes that range from simple to complex in preparation. Scattered throughout are sidebars and profiles of markets and farmers across the country. This is a great cooking resource and a great read.