DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA SANDWICH COOKIES

Dark and milk chocolate chunk banana cookies sandwiched between a rich chocolately ganache? Yes.

What makes this recipe great?

Fruit and chocolate is arguably one of my favorite things about baking. There is just too much possibility and fun to be had. Honestly this recipe came from me wanting to break free from the stereotypical banana bread train (not knocking banana bread as it is God's gift!) I desperately wanted to mix it up.

Cookies are already a class favorite- I mean who turns down a cookie? Chocolate chip is of course a REAL top contender so I thought why not add bananas, some ganache (my favorite) to the center and press those puppies together to make the cutest damn sandwiches you ever did see. This is the first time I decided to go completely solo on these bad boys- which I gotta say was daunting but a fun ride. Now, typically I'll do some research, pull aspects from other recipes and combined the elements together. However for this I went in totally blind. I got to add elements I thought would add some spunk and I got to test out sizings and kitchen times.

One of the things I stood by- don't use chips, use a chocolate bar! It melts and gives the cookies almost a marbled look. The size was another thing I wanted to make sure I got right- don't make them too big. These cookies took around three bites to devour (this was tested by me, obviously for research). Since they have two types of chocolate in the cookie and a center that is rich dark chocolate you don't need excess- a few blissful bites does the trick just fine. Again, as with cakes, I wrapped these cookies up and put them directly in the freezer overnight. This really help set the moisture and flavor and ALL that goodness. Another trick I always do for cookies is to let them sit on the pan. Cookies don't take long to cook - these guys took only 7 or 8 minutes to be completely baked through. BUT the key is to bake them until they're done but not too done. I then let them rest on the pan for a few minutes to really let them set. This makes the cookie a bit gooey on the inside. Which if you're like me is a big Y E S.

RECIPE

Prep it:

• Cookie sheet

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit

The Double Chocolate Banana Cookies

• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 overly ripe bananas

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup butter

• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 4 ounces milk chocolate (chopped)

• 4 ounces dark chocolate (chopped)

The Chocolate Ganache

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate

The Cookies

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Now we want a bowl a bit larger to beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter. Beat with a mixer until light and fluffy (this usually takes about 3 minutes). Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla until all wet ingredients are thoroughly combined. Slowly incorporate flour mixture until it is all mixed in. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Set cookie batter in fridge for 30 minutes. The dough will be wet but that's okay, you're just gonna get a bit sticky! You want about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of batter per cookie and set them about 2 inches apart on the pan. They should only take about 7-8 minutes (this is so dependent on your oven, mine is quite quick, check on them frequently on your first go as to not overbake!)

Make the ganache as they cool.

*You can freeze the cookies now overnight or for a few hours. This is an optional step but I find makes the cookies superb, so I highly recommend.

Ganache

Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat, until it comes to a simmer, again not a full boil. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for a couple minutes. Gently stir until combine until silky and smooth. Let cool and set aside.

The Assembly

Get those cookies out of the freezer (if you did this step) and pick ones that match for sandwiches.

Slap enough ganache on one side of the cookie to cover the area and sandwich with the corresponding cookie. I like to place them in the fridge intermittently to let the ganache between the cookies set a bit.

But now is the time to try the goodness, so dig IN.