White Chocolate Banana Walnut Cookies

Soft, plump, and tender, these White Chocolate Banana Walnut Cookies taste like a slice of fresh banana bread, only better!

*Disclaimer - This recipe was originally published in 2015. I'm working hard to update all my older recipes with recipe cards, new photos, and additional recipe information. But, getting to all of them will take time. Please bear with me. In the meantime let me assure you that this recipe is still a winner and one I'm sure you'll be well pleased with when you make it at home.

**Please Note - The printable recipe card with detailed instructions, complete ingredient measurements, and nutritional information for making Banana Walnut Cookies is available at the end of this post. Or you can hit the "jump to recipe" button (found above) to be taken directly to the recipe.

I must confess. I'm a horrible friend! The reason being, about a year and a half ago my friend B asked if I would make her some banana walnut ice cream, and I never did. *hangs head in shame*

Since I never made B her banana walnut ice cream, I recently made her these White Chocolate Banana Walnut Cookies after she'd broken her ankle, to make up for it. Some day I hope to make her the banana walnut ice cream because I obviously haven't forgotten about it...I'm just not sure when it will be.

The recipe I'm sharing today I adapted slightly from Martha Stewart's website. Where Martha's recipe called for semi-sweet chocolate, I opted for white chocolate.

I also wanted to add a touch of fall flavor, so I added a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter, and because I felt the cookie batter was a little too thin, and I was worried they'd spread too much during baking, I increased the amount of all-purpose flour.

I'm so glad that I did increase the flour amount because these cookies turned out just as I had hoped they would, soft, plump, and chewy!

WHITE CHOCOLATE BANANA WALNUT COOKIES   {PRINT THIS RECIPE}
Yield:  3½ dozen      Prep Time:   10 minutes      Bake Time: 17-20 minutes

¾ cups (1½ sticks) butter, softened (I use salted)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 overripe bananas, mashed
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup quick-cooking oats
¾ cup white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
2 baking sheets
parchment paper
small ice cream scoop or two tablespoons

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and bananas. Add the egg and mix well.

-In a dry skillet, toast the walnuts stirring occasionally over medium heat until you just begin to smell them. Remove from the heat and allow them to cool.

-In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and oats. Add the flour mixture gradually into the wet mixture, beating on low until thoroughly blended. Add the white chocolate chips and toasted walnuts to the batter and mix well, scraping down the sides occasionally.

-Drop the batter in tablespoon-size portions onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 12 per sheet. Bake two sheets in a preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, rotate the sheets and continue baking for an additional 7-10 minutes. Remove baked cookies to a cooling rack and continue the same steps with the remaining batter.