Banana Choco-Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Mr. Ommy Noms and I have a sweet, sweet little fox terrier mix who's pretty much the light of our lives.  But, as my grandma would say, "He's spoiled so rotten that he stinks."  Yes, it seems that our little darling has learned that barking his head off when we're not in the room will make one of "his people" appear as if by magic.  He pulled that trick at an inhumanely early hour 9:30 this morning.

I couldn't go back to sleep, so I headed into the kitchen to forage.  We had several overly ripe bananas, and not much else.  (We're definitely past due for a grocery store trip!)  I wasn't in the mood for banana bread, but Google led me to this nifty banana cookie recipe and I started mixing.

Let me tell you, these cookies will rock your world.  They are moist with a delicious banana flavor.  Do keep an eye on them, as my first batch got too brown at the recommended 18 minute mark.  I baked the next pan for 16 minutes and they were perfect.

As seen on Erin Cooks, originally from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook

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
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
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
1.  Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease two baking sheets or line them with buttered parchment paper.
2.  In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside.
3.  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.
4.  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.
5.  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. (I just eyeballed it.)
6.  Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 16-18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, than use a wide spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
7.  The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container, layered between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature for up to 3 days.