Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nutella Glaze

Tired of using your brown bananas to make banana bread? Me too! Give these banana cookies a try instead next time. They're easy to make and who doesn't love Nutella?

These cookies are of the cakey variety. If you're looking for something chewy, try The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Or how about these no flour, egg-free, no added sugar or fat, Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

The glaze recipe I used was originally from a doughnut recipe, so it sets up nicely. They're not stack-able though, so you'll need to store them in a single layer.

I used margarine because my mom didn't have butter, but if I were at home, I would have used butter instead. Butter is always better. These also would have been a little prettier with some chopped nuts on top. My mom doesn't keep stuff like this since she's not really into baking. I'm lucky to even find baking powder and soda at her place. And the chocolate I used was something that one of her international students brought from Kazakhstan. But you could chop any chocolate you like, or use chocolate chips. I used less than 2 cups, but that's what the original recipe called for.

The kids couldn't get enough of these cookies!

Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nutella Glaze

Adapted from A Sweeter Thing & Cooking Classy

Makes about 32 cookies

Ingredients 

For the Cookies:

• 2  1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium)
• 2 cups chocolate chunks/chips (semi sweet, milk or whatever you want)

For the Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons Nutella
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line your baking sheet with parchment.
2. To make the cookies; sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together. I used a wooden spoon just until it started to come together and become creamy. It wasn't overly fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the mashed bananas.
4. Add the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
5. Drop heaping teaspoons of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. At home, I'd have used my small cookie scoop (my mom doesn't have one of those either). I would have gotten more cookies that way I think, and they would have been more round.
6. Bake for about 8 minutes or until firm. Touch them with your finger to see if they spring back at you. The tops won't be that golden, but it doesn't matter, the inside will be cooked.
7. Let them cool on wire racks before glazing. 
8. To make the glaze; stir all the glaze ingredients together (I just used a spoon) until smooth. Dip the cookie tops into the glaze, or spread it on with a spatula.