Toasted Oat Banana Bread Cookies

Steps

1. 1

   Melt the butter in a skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter develops a deep brown color and nutty aroma and the oats are toasted. Watch closely so the milk solids do not burn.

2. 2

   Pour the browned butter and toasted oats into a heatproof mixing bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir until combined.

3. 3

   Let the mixture cool until it is only slightly warm to the touch. It should not be hot enough to cook the sugar or melt the chocolate later.

4. 4

   Add the light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk until the mixture looks smooth and glossy.

5. 5

   Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula just until no dry streaks remain; do not overmix.

6. 6

   Add the chopped semi-sweet chocolate and fold it in. Make sure the dough is no longer warm so the chocolate remains in pieces rather than melting into the dough.

7. 7

   Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough onto a baking sheet. Make either 12 smaller dough balls of about 45 g each or 9 larger dough balls of about 60 g each.

8. 8

   Chill the dough balls uncovered for 1 hour. If chilling overnight, cover the baking sheet or container after the dough has chilled sufficiently to prevent drying.

   Start 1-hour timer
9. 9

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 °C) (175°C (350 °F)). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

10. 10

    Arrange 6 chilled cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving several inches between them for spreading. Bake in batches as needed.

11. 11

    Bake for 12–14 minutes, using the shorter time for smaller cookies and the longer time for larger cookies. The edges should be set while the centers remain slightly soft.

    Start 14-minute timer
12. 12

    Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully tap or slam it against the counter 1–2 times to de-puff the cookies.

13. 13

    Immediately sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt. Let them cool on the baking sheet until they are firm enough to move without breaking, then transfer them to a rack if desired.