Little Chew desperately wanted a banana this morning, but they were a little too ripe for her liking. All of her other favorite breakfast foods just weren’t passing muster, and after hearing “nana, nana!” for about the hundredth time, I knew what we had to do – make cookies! They have fruit in them, so technically they could be considered a breakfast food…right?

Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies

yields two dozen cookies

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Vegan Shortening

1/2 Cup Earth Balance Vegan Margarine, softened (1 stick = 1/2 cup)

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer

4 Tbs Very Warm Water

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Medium Banana, mashed

3 Ounces Chocolate, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350°, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

You’ll need three bowls – a medium bowl for dry ingredients, a large one for the wet, and a small bowl or cup to mix the egg replacer (I just use a coffee mug).

In the medium bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together; set aside.

In the large bowl, cream the shortening, margarine, and sugar together. In the small cup/bowl, combine the egg replacer and water according to package directions, mixing until frothy. Immediately blend into the creamed ingredients, followed by the vanilla, and finally, the mashed banana. There may be little chunks of banana remaining, which is fine. Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet, about a third at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Chop up your chocolate or grab your chips, and gently fold into the dough.

Spoon the dough onto the cookie sheets in generous dollops- approximately 2-3 Tbs per cookie. The dough will not spread much during baking, so you don’t have to space the cookies very far apart.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cookies are just starting to turn a light golden brown. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They don’t really need to set up, as they will remain soft and cakey.

Little Chew snagged a bite when I wasn’t looking – cookies for breakfast, yum!