One-Bowl Soft and Fluffy Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies

We all love banana bread, and it's just as good in cookie form. These cookies are extra fluffy and the gooey chocolate chunks add the perfect sweet touch. This recipe is also gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, and made in just one bowl. It makes 12 to 14 cookies depending on their size. For this recipe, you want to make sure the bananas are extra ripe.

As bananas ripen, the starch in the banana turns into sugar. Basically, bananas can never be too ripe for baking. Even if the inside of the banana is very squishy and the outside is completely brown, you are good to go as long as there is no mold on it. The more brown the banana, the sweeter they are, and the more flavor the bakery item will have.

If you have non-ripe bananas but really want to make banana bread or another bakery item, there is an easy way to ripen them quickly. Simply heat your oven to 300 degrees F and place the full bananas on a cookie sheet. Allow to roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes. The slow roasting pushes the ripening of the banana forward. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle and use in any bakery item you would like!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mashed extra ripe banana

• 1/2 cup DF buttery spread, melted (I use vegan Earth Balance Buttery Sticks when baking)

• 2/3 cup coconut sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/3 cup GF flour (for this recipe, I used Cup4Cup, but most GF flours with xanthan gum should work)

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2/3 cup DF and GF chocolate chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a large cookie sheet by covering with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

2. In a large bowl, add the mashed banana, DF buttery spread, and coconut sugar. Mix well until combined. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. Add in the GF flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until fully combined and smooth. There will be a few chunks from the banana.

4. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Allow to sit for 10 minutes so the flour has a chance to absorb the moisture. Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the dough on the cookie sheet. Allow about 1-2 inches of space in-between each cookie.

5. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are cooked through. Allow the cookies to cool for a couple minutes, and then move them to a cooling rack to allow to cool the rest of the way.

6. Store in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days and enjoy!