Sunday, May 17, 2009

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 350ยบ 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??

44 comments:

GreenDogWine said...

Sounds like a busy but super fun time! HUGE CONGRATS TO JOSH! that is awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Alison Can Read said...

Congrats on the graduation for Josh!
Your cookies look wonderful!

Balance, Joy and Delicias! said...

congrats to Josh!!!
did you come to Maryland?? wooooo...... you could have let me know so I could meet you in person!!!
So excited for Josh!! :)
oh.... chocolate chip cookie!!! YUM YUM~~

Holly said...

Congrats to Josh!!! Sounds like you had a crazy busy weekend, lady! And those cookins...I just love that name. The name alone makes me want to make them. :-)

Anonymous said...

Congrats Josh!! What an accomplishment :D

Anna said...

Congrats! And delicious cookies!

Fitnessista said...

congrats to josh! that is so exciting! hahah especially since i'm an mba drop out ;)
the cookies look amazing!
have a great day <3

Krista said...

Long drive but obviously SO worth it!!! :)

Those cookies sure do sound yummy!!

Elyse said...

Congrats, Josh! What a wonderful accomplishment. MBA is no joke :) So glad you had such a great time at graduation. And these cookies look and sound fabulous. Sorry that I’ve been an absent commenter; I just finished up my law school exams and am finally getting around to my google reader.

Anne said...

Congrats to Josh! And those cookies look delicious! Yum. Sounds like you have a great (if super busy) weekend. I ran a 5k race, and it went well. But I'm definitely paying for it today in terms of muscle soreness. Ouch!

I hope you have a great monday!

Esi said...

Glad you're back1! Sounds like a busy, but fun time :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats to Josh!

Aggie said...

Congrats to Josh!!

I Run for Fun said...

Welcome back! Congrats to Josh!

You had the energy to bake after all this??? Cookins sound delicious.

Pearl said...

congratulations josh!

Anonymous said...

GREAT JOB JOSH!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe you sweet little lady! I did almost nothing this wknd. I loved it!

lk- Health yDelicious said...

congrats Josh!!
my husband is currently getting his MBA from UMD too.

Maria said...

Congrats to Josh! How exciting. The cookins look tasty! We had 2 bbq's, 2 restaurant opening parties, yard work, working out, and baking. It was a fun but busy weekend!

Diana said...

I love muffin cookies -- my favorite kind!

So exciting about Josh! Congrats to him! :)

Lauren said...

Welcome back!

Glad to hear you had a great trip and week.

Don't you hate playing "catch-up" after being away. I always feel that I need a vacation day from my vacation just to recover and get back into the routine.

Hope you are getting all caught up and had a wonderful day!

HangryPants said...

Congrats to Josh - awesome accomplishment!

Charlie said...

man! YES i can't believe it's been a week! grrrrr
hhahah just kidding. YAYYYY for JOSH and you too!! That means the big bucks will start rollin' in now huh?? ;) *wink wink* Congratulations!!!

Ooooh...i always loved my cookies soft and chewy...the meltier the better!!!

Anonymous said...

banana and chocolate chip in one cookie! how lovely!
congrats to Josh! graduation...exciting new times ahead for him!

Unknown said...

hehe, cookins :) love it! CONGRATS to josh!!!!

Maris said...

These look delish! Congrats to Josh, my brother graduated college this weekend and it was such a fun time!

Kerstin said...

Congrats to Josh - yay!! The cookins (such a cute name!) look fantastic.

The Purple Carrot said...

Congrats to Josh, that's very exciting! : )

And your cookins look wonderful ... Oatmeal, banana and chocolate chips is one of my absolute favorite combos for cookies (and cookins sound like a wonderful texture!)

Anonymous said...

do you ever bake anything that doesn't look tasty?!

congrats to mr. Josh! how exciting!!! he looks pleased!! (as he should be!)

Melissa @ For the Love of Health said...

WOW!! Super duper long car ride!! I can relate though- it takes a good 14 hours to get to my mom's- not as long as 36 hours!!

Graduation looks awesome!! Amazing accomplishment!!

I have to make those cookies! I love banana in any baking! Yummy! Thanks for sharing!

Have a wonderful day!

Rose said...

Yay Josh!

Do you have nutritionals for the cookies?

Yum Yucky said...

What an exciting, happy time!

...so, uh...can I have a cookie???

Chef Jeena said...

Lovely cookies Erica. Congratulations to Josh - the arena looks huge!

Samantha said...

Congrats to the Graduate!!!

vanillasugarblog said...

Erica, don't hate me. He's graduating from college right? Or Masters degree?
My hubby FINALLY gets his Masters degree end of Dec. Only $40K later...that's all. He's thinking about a PhD next...there's goes the nest egg. LOL
I saw those cookies too! And wanted to make them so badly.
We haven't had any Frank pics lately. hmmm?

The Blonde Duck said...

Congrats to Josh! How great!

A cookie and muffin? BRILLIANT!

Laura said...

Congrats to Josh!

Julie said...

aww congrats to josh :) those cookies look fab girl

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Looks like you had a fun weekend! Things seem to get really hectic as summer heats up & I find myself being on the computer less and less too which makes blogging more sporadic! Surprisingly, this past weekend was just spent lounging and spending time with the fam! --Take care =)

Anonymous said...

congrats to josh! thats so exciting =)

I live in VA, and my cousin graduated from UMD - college park last year, the graduation was huge and so much fun!

This past weekend I went out to sushi!

hope this week is easier on you!

Lori said...

Congrats to Josh! I've got to bookmark these cookies. I'm always looking for ways to use my ripe bananas instead of just bread.

Sharon said...

Congratulations to Josh! That is awesome! And mmmm, COOKIES!!!

The Blonde Duck said...

One who likes turkey burgers is never weird.

Juliana said...

Congratulations for Josh...such an accomplishment. Great way to celebrate...chocolate chip cookies!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to Josh!!! I'm so proud of him. Cookies are a great way to celebrate!

I got your package tonight. Thank you SO much! I can't wait to try out the recipes and eat those Larabars! You're amazing. Love you!