Let’s be honest, is there anything better than a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie?

Hmm, what about a banana chocolate chip cookie? A soft, cake-like banana chocolate chip cookie with buttery crisp edges?

Sounds pretty amazing, right? And what if you were to make those cookies into ice cream sandwiches?

Um yes, please!

Let’s get right into it…

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Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup cane sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (the browner the better)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two baking sheets.

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, banana, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon. The batter will be wet like banana bread batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by round tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: about 3 dozen.

– most ingredients I use are organic or local
– I do not have a gluten-free or dairy-free modification yet

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If you are a cookie addict like me, try your hardest not to eat them all before making them into ice cream sandwiches.

Use any ice cream you like. My personal favorite is So Delicious Coconut Milk Ice Cream. For these sandwiches I used the Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl and Vanilla Bean flavors. I recommend taking the ice cream out of the freezer for a little while so it’s softer to work with.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, take a heaping scoop of ice cream and sandwich between two cookies. Even out the sides with a butter knife or spatula and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Freeze until the ice cream sets.

Wrap individually in parchment or plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag until ready to eat.

But we know you can’t wait that long, so let one…or two sit out for about 5 minutes before enjoying. I find that letting them sit out helps take off that arctic blast and you can taste all the flavors instead of just cold. Do you know what I mean?

I really hope you will enjoy baking and creating these scrumptious treats, and I’d love to hear what you think!