Peanut Butter Applesauce Banana Craisin Chip Cookies…??

Peanut Butter Applesauce Banana Craisin Chip Cookies…A.k.a. all the things cookies! I know, I know… name fail. It happens.

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One of my most loved hobbies is what I fondly refer to in my head as “improv cooking”.  To me, this means recreating a recipe or meal I’ve seen somewhere (pinterest, a magazine article, on a Food Network TV show) my own way- usually without any kind of recipe to follow. I read through the ingredients and methods once or twice then do it my own way without getting too fussy. My husband and kids mostly tolerate this (it’s pretty much trial by error and by no means results in delicious food every single time) but it’s fun and keeps cooking and baking feeling relaxed for me. I’m confident in flavors and basics so I feel like I can grow recipes from there without too much risk of tragedy 😉

The other reason I “improv cook” is simply because I almost never have what I need on hand for recipes I come across! Who does?! Instead of going to the grocery store every day, or sometimes multiple times a day, I just use what I have on hand and sub in and out ingredients according to what we like and what I know will work.

Hence the recipe for these fabulous cookies! Born from my favorite, most loved, most requested chocolate chip cookie recipe (this one from Nestle Toll House is honestly the only way to go) I’ve created a cookie chock full of flavor but a little bit more exciting than regular ol’ chocolate chip.  I couldn’t think of a great name for these cookies (leave out the peanut butter? skip mentioning the banana? omit the craisins? I just couldn’t do it- ha!) and had a blast reading through reader suggestions on a instagram pic I snapped yesterday, favorites including Fruity Chocolate Chip, Choco Banana Mish Mash Cookies, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Gone Bananas, and from my cousin: “Jungle Love” cookies. Dying. Ya’ll can name my recipes ANYTIME. Just sayin’.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (if your dough seems REALLY sticky at the end, lean toward adding the extra 1/4 cup flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks)  SALTED butter, softened (crazy for some, but I never, ever, EVER buy or use unsalted butter)
• 1/8 cup shortening (you could totally omit this but I like the soft chewy texture it lends to cookies even in a super small amount)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 large eggs
• 1 small, very ripe, mashed banana
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi sweet chocolate chips
  
• 1 cup mixed craisins and raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. With electric mixer, cream butter, sugars, egg, applesauce, banana, peanut butter, shortening, and vanilla.
3. To the same bowl add dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined.
4. By hand, mix in the craisins, raisins, and chocolate chips.
5. Scoop by tablespoonfuls onto a non-stick cookies sheet (air-bake cookies sheets are my secret for cookies!) and refrigerate until ready to bake. I baked these from the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. I have a hot spot in the back left part of my oven so I turn my cookies sheet halfway through. Keep an eye on them- they over brown pretty quick!

My girls LOVED these- turned into little cookie thieving monsters so I had to pack them all up underneath my heavy glass cake dome that they aren’t strong enough yet to uncover. 😉 The peanut butter, banana, and chocolate are a classic combo that I will always love, but the addition of the slightly tart craisins and raisins really add such a nice fresh note to these sweet cookies that I totally fell in love with. You could get crazy and use whole wheat flour or add oats or flax! Hope you give them a try and love them as much as we did!

And incase you want to pin this recipe for later…