These are a few of my favorite things...

My family has a tradition that on Christmas Eve we spend the whole day making all sorts of hours devours and then all evening eating them and watching Christmas movies. This year, as Ben helped me with the pies and cookies, I contemplated what my favorite cookie is. Chocolate chip cookies are kind of like apples. While good, even amazing sometimes, they are so common-place that I never really want to eat them. Snickerdoodles, Sugar cookies, and Oatmeal cookies are relatively common as well. (Although I'm pretty confident that I can make the best sugar cookies you've ever had.)

I guess I just get bored with these cookies too quickly for them to be my favorite. They don't keep me as excited as a "favorite" cookie should. My Banana Chocolate Chip cookies, on the other hand, never cease to amaze me. The cookies are so light and fluffy with just a hint of banana so it's not overpowering. Throughout the cookie there are these little bits of chocolaty goodness. I really can't get enough of them, whether it's the cookie or the dough. Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ¼ c flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

4 mashed bananas (the kind you'd use for banana bread)
½ c evaporated milk

2/3 c shortening
2/3 c sugar
2 eggs

1/3 bag Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the mashed bananas and evaporated milk. In a third bowl or stand mixer, combine the shortening and sugar. Mix until blended and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Alternate combining the banana and flour mixtures until used, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. When both mixtures are incorporated, mix in the chocolate chips. (You can use more chocolate chips if you want, but they're not supposed to be too overpowering.) :)
Scoop out onto cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 10-15 min. Cookies will remain colorless and soft. Remove from cookies sheet and cool on a rack. Devour.


**Note: tripling the batch uses a whole can of canned milk and one package of mini chocolate chips**