Banana and Chocolate Cookies

I'm sure you'll love these banana cakelets they are going to delight you. The recipe gives you the option to make them banana-and-chocolate, and I definitely recommend it —the touch of melted chocolate chips inside pairs tremendously well with the banana, while giving it a boost of flavor and indulgence (and in the end, what are we looking for when we bake?

Like these cakelets contain banana, they make them very moist. It's a recipe that takes no time to prepare and the result is worth it.

They are ideal to serve for breakfast or as an individual afternoon treat. They're made with the Brilliance Bundtlette molds from Nordic Ware, which give them this beautifully elegant shape.

You'll see that among the ingredients is the Nomu vanilla extract. I find it sensational. It gives an authentic vanilla taste to my bakes and it's very handy to have a bottle in the pantry. You should be prepared to make a delicious dessert at any time!

Treat yourself to these Banana cakelets. I'm sure you'll love them. You also have the option to make them as a banana loaf or bundt, simply pour the batter into a large pan or a bundt pan instead of individual cakelet molds.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1 cup very ripe mashed banana*
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon of Nomu vanilla extract
• Optional: chocolate chips (to make banana-and-chocolate cakelets)

To understand the quantities, just use a 250ml cup or glass filled with water. Fill that same cup to measure all the ingredients.

• One 250ml cup or glass of water will equal one 125g cup or glass of flour.

*To make the banana purée, simply mash them with a fork.

Nordic Ware Brilliance Bundtlette gold pan

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Prepare the Nordic Ware Brilliance Bundtlette pan with nonstick baking spray that contains flour, and evenly coat the pan's details with a pastry brush.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. In another bowl, mix the yogurt and mashed banana. Set aside
4. Using a hand mixer or an electric mixer with whisk attachments, beat the butter and both sugars. Add the egg and the vanilla and mix well. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the banana mixture. Combine completely before adding the other half of the flour and banana mixtures. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
5. If you want to make banana-and-chocolate cakelets, now is the time to add the chocolate chips (a good handful or two, to taste). Mix well so they are evenly distributed in the batter.
6. Pour evenly into the prepared pan, filling each cavity only ¾ full. Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.
7. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven, wait 8 to 10 minutes before unmolding by inverting the pan onto a cooling rack.
8. Wait for them to cool and enjoy! You can dust a little brown sugar and powdered sugar on top for decoration using a small sieve.

Laura Ashley porcelain tray

Notes

• To make the mashed banana, simply mash them with a fork: press the bananas to break them up, that's all. Since they need to be ripe, you'll find it very easy. You can also do it with a food chopper or food processor, but it's not necessary — no need to dirty extra dishes in this case... Put the bananas in the bowl and press them, that's it.
• Banana and chocolate go very well together; I recommend adding generous handfuls so they melt inside the little cakes, making every bite even more deliciously indulgent.
• IMPORTANT! We suggest making them as mini cakelets, but you can shape it as a traditional loaf by baking it in a rectangular pan (for example, with the same quantities, I often make it in the Laura Ashley tray, which isn't very large and works great. Or you can choose to make it in a standard bundt pan, here you'll find some of the most popular ones and others we really like.