Sometimes I am a destroyer of myself. It’s the strangest thing… aren’t we designed to self-preserve? It feels like the most bonkers counter-intuitive part of me. My destroyer-self has tendencies. Tendencies are so annoying. Tendencies like, oh… I dunno… drinking way too much wine under stress or duress. Tendencies like… telling lies that need not be told. Tendencies like… believing the demon inside… the ones that say that I’m never ever good enough so why even try.
Gosh these tendencies. Dang them! They’re tough. They travel in packs in me and I end up in a cycle where I’m not doing myself, or anyone around me any good at all.
Is this too real? Is this just me? It can’t be. I can’t be the only destroyer.
Thank goodness there are tools. My tools of prevention include: brunch with a best friend, a super honest conversation with a stranger (taxi drivers are wonderful for this), words on the Lord, and the sharing of a cookie cake.
Let kindness prevail inside and out.
This cake has a secret talent I have yet to tell you about.
We already know it’s a Cookie Cake… which is probably just a thing that I made up. A delicious delicious thing.
What’s secretly amazing about this cake is that it’s made in one bowl… and by bowl I mean cast iron skillet. It all goes in, gets stirred around, baked, and boom boom pow IT’S DONE!
Butter is melted and whisked with brown sugar. This part of the process can get a little funky, chunky and greasy.
It’s amazing what whisking in an egg will do to bind everything together.
After the addition of the egg, whisk in mashed banana and cinnamon.
This is going to be a banana bread, cake, and chocolate chip cookie SMASHBANG!
We’ll need some flour too. In the pan! Yep! Just stir it up!
The good stuff: chocolate and walnuts.
If your instincts tell you to add a splash of bourbon… yes!
Just before baking the batter is glossy sweet. Smooth it out and bake it away.
Golden brown delicious!
I like this cake best served slightly warm and slightly underdone. Ohh yes good.
This dessert! It’s a bizarre and magical combination of cake and cookies. The brown sugar and chocolate chips scream chocolate chip cookies, the tender crumb is somewhere in between cake and banana bread. The bananas add extra moisture and the nuts and an earthy crunch. This dish is best served fresh out of the oven, in big scoops with ice cream. Coffee ice cream is totally the move!
Will this recipe work without a cast iron skillet? Yes! This recipe can be baked in a greased 8×8-inch square pan. You’ll just need a pan to melt the butter in, and a medium bowl to bring together the ingredients. Pour ingredients into your prepared pan and bake! Simple as that… just requires a few more dishes.
Make and share. Make and share.
Banana, Walnut & Chocolate Cookie Cake
makes 1 8-inch cookie cake
inspired by Tasty Kitchen
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ripe banana (mashed)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt butter in an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla extract and remove from heat. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Allow mixture to stand and cool for about 5 minutes. The mixture should not be super hot when the eggs goes in, or the egg will cook.
When the sugar and butter mixture has cooled slightly it will look a bit clumpy, greasy, and broken. That’s ok. The egg will bring it all together.
Add the egg and whisk together until smooth. The mixture will be glossy and no longer greasy. Add banana and cinnamon and stir to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir carefully until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the chocolate and walnuts and fold together.
Spread mixture across the pan creating a somewhat smooth top. Place in the oven.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until mixture is dry on top, but still slightly soft in the center. I like to slightly under-bake this cake.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Top with ice cream and serve warm… with lots of spoons. I like this dish served immediately, but it will last two days, well wrapped, at room temperature.
The Savory and The Beautiful
Oh i know those demons quite well…ugh….but it’s nice to know i can feel totally accomplished by mixing sweet stuff in a pan and poof…cookie cake. Thank you for this one in more ways than one.
xoxo
SamCyn
Yeah, the destroyer will always try to get the best of us for sure…sounds like the words of the Lord and this cookie cake are the best tools for nourishing the soul…I’m in! :)
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
Um, I’ll have what you’re having.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This looks so, so, fabulous! I NEED to try this!
Kathryn
you are certainly not the only one who is gifted in the self-sabotage department. So often, we are our own worst enemies. But a cookie cake (which is probably the best invention ever) is good way to try and combat that.
robyn
oh my gosh-look at that cookie cake. that would destroy any hope of a healthy week! :)
Zee
Oh by the way this cookie+cake+banana bread fusion is totally amazing! Im dying to get some of it out of my computer screen!
Zee
Joy, you are not alone.. you have an exact clone of you somewhere on the other side of this planet and that’s me! ;)
Amelia
I love your posts so much, you are definitely not the only self-destroyer out there. This cookie cake looks incredible!
IdaBaker
I love the idea of cooking, mixing, and then baking a cake all in one pan. It adds flavor not found when doing it any other way.
It’s kind of like that us. We have everything there inside of us, just add a few smiles, hugs, good conversation, and let it “cook” for a while, and it all comes out okay, if the recipe is right.
I know, like your cake, you’ll come out ready to start a new day.
Filipa
Oh wow, this recipe will be the end of me. It looks divine! And SO
simple! :)
Sophie
Oh Joy, you’ve really done it now! I want this for lunch and definitely coffee icecream :D
Ellen
I have been a destroyer of my self. We all have those tendencies, circumstances can cause us to be our own worst enemy. I will move on and be ok, I wish the same for you. Now I am looking forward to baking some cookie-cake on Saturday for my kids!
jfo
Hah, I totally read “it’s amazing what whiskey and an egg will do.”
Trina
Oh wow!! Looks amazing. Tell me though, will it work without the Cast Iron Skillet?? That is a kitchen item quite American and hard to come by here in Germany :)