Banana Chocolate Chip Cookins, Josh's Graduation

I cannot believe that is has been a week since I posted! I had a super busy week and weekend, so I apologize for my absence! This weekend, we took the long drive up and back to Maryland (17 hours in the car in a 36 hour period!) for Josh's MBA graduation from University of Maryland. Here are a few pics (sorry some of them are dark):

Inside Graduation-

The adorable graduate-

Congrats Josh! We got back last night and were totally exhausted. Today was spent playing catch up around the house, putting in a 6 hour work day :(, running 6 miles, and baking! I made these Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies from Erin Cooks , which taste like a combination of a cookie and a muffin (hence Cookins):

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used a little less)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg (I used egg whites)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup oatmeal (not quick-cooking)

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

2 bananas, cut into 1/4 to1/3 inch pieces

Directions:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper (I just did them on a non stick cookie sheet and removed them right after they came out of the oven)

In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Use a large spoon to mix in the banana pieces, mixing just until they are evenly distributed and some of the pieces are mashed but most are still visible, about 20 seconds.

Use a tablespoon to drop heaping spoonfuls of dough (about 3 level tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart. Note: I used a large scoop.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, than use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container, layered between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

What did you do this weekend??