Avengers actress Scarlett shares a favourite healthy snack
Action roles such as Black Widow in the Avengers movies demand a healthy diet, but actress Scarlett Johansson isn’t against having a little fun. She says she shared her taste for banana chocolate chip cookies with Gwyneth Paltrow on the set of Iron Man II, but she doesn’t really have a recipe – she just makes it up as she goes along. We’ve found a recipe which should make it easy for you to match Scarlett’s favourite snack!
You should use ripe or even over ripe bananas for the best flavour. If they are unripe when you buy them, leave them in a brown paper bag with an apple, avocado, peach or tomato for a couple of days, and the ethylene gas given off by the fruit will help ripen the bananas. If you are in a hurry, place the unripe bananas in their peels on a baking sheet and warm in a 250° oven for 15-20 minutes.
See also: Chris Hemsworth’s Beetroot, Berries and Goat’s Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Method
- In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, banana and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- For added texture, stir ½ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts into the batter. To toast nuts, bake in a shallow pan in a 350° oven for 5-10 minutes or cook in a skillet over low heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
- Bake at 350° for 13-16 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
- Remove to wire racks to cool.
See also: Rebecca Romijn’s Huzarensla Dutch Russian potato salad
