Perfect with milk, these mouth-watering cookies offer a flavorful combination of banana and crunchy walnuts. Recipe by Chef Emily Luchetti.

Walnut Banana Cookies

3/4 cup quick-cooking (1 minute) oats

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large banana

1 1/4 cups California walnuts, toasted and chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, salt, baking powder; set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
4. Finely chop the banana (there will be about 3/4 cup) and stir it into the sugar mixture.
5. Stir in the oat/flour mixture and walnuts.
6. Spoon the dough about 1 1/2-inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets.
7. Bake until light brown, about 15 minutes, turning cookie sheets halfway between baking to ensure even browning.

Makes 30 cookies.

Tip: For flatter cookies (as they appear in the photograph), you may need to press the spooned cookie dough slightly with the flat bottom of a lightly greased glass.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cookie): Calories: 140; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 3.5 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 18 mg; Sodium: 67 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 15 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 2 g

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of California Walnuts.