Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 7 minutes
Makes about 8 cookies
I think everyone’s idea of a “perfect cookie” is different. If you’ve ever had “The Cookie” from Metropolitan Market, that’s what I’d call a near-perfect blend of deliciousness. I really can’t explain it. Every time I bake cookies, I try & recreate the texture and fail miserably. I say it often, and I'll say it again, cookies are not my forte.
But things I struggle with are usually the things I come back to. So lately, I've been stuck on the art of baking cookies. I've been noticeably more and more frustrated with the lack of progress I'm making in figuring out how bakers create such beautiful cookies. You know, the kind that everyone drools over in the bakery shop window? It kills me. I want to make a cookie like thoseeeeee! I've been stuck on this for months. Then, I thought about jumping ship altogether. Typical. Then one day, in front of me, sat a bruised banana, and everything changed (melodramatic but true).
I wondered, could the banana work in a cookie? Would it fall apart? Be too mushy? Considering I was at the height of defeat, I figured I had nothing to lose.
So, I pulled a few things from the pantry, naturally, peanut butter was included, chocolate too. After a few alterations (because nothing seems to be just right the first time), the Chocolate PB Hazelnut Cookie was created. And my idea of what a cookie could become, changed completely.
considerations
Peanut butter: Look for a pb with just peanuts as the ingredients (maybe salt too). Organic & dry-roasted if possible!
Sugar: Feel free to reduce the sugar, I would cut back on one though & keep a mixture of coconut sugar / maple syrup. I personally prefer the flavor of using both, but you do you!
Final texture: These are very gooey! Don't be alarmed if they look underdone, that's what we're going for. The most important step is to let them cool completely, the longer the better, this will help make sure they hold shape.
ingredients
1 c chunky pb
½ c coconut sugar
⅓ c chopped hazelnuts
1 very ripe banana
3 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp cacao powder
2 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
handful of dark chocolate chips
steps
Preheat oven to 375 F and line a large pan with parchment paper.
Mash the banana in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the coconut sugar, maple syrup, pb, vanilla, & mix.
Gently mix in the cacao powder until no dry bits remain.
Chop the hazelnuts & add them to your bowl. Add the chocolate chips & mix again. Place the bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes - they’re a bit easier to shape this way.
After 15 minutes, shape cookies - each cookie was about 2 Tbsp of dough. Top w/ flaky sea salt.
Bake for 7 minutes - I found this to be perfect for a gooey center.
Most important step: Let them cool completely, at least an hour. Otherwise, they WILL fall apart. And I can say with certainly that these are 10x better the next day. The best things really do take time.
Enjoy!
Comments