Tasty Banana Choc-Chip Cookies

When I was teaching (oh, I miss teaching!), I wasn't too fond of marking homework. It was quite tedious sitting at my desk on a Friday afternoon marking 31 or so identical pieces of homework. A4 books were fantastic for fitting homework sheets (if children trimmed/glued them neatly!) but were not so good for manipulating on tired Friday arvos!


There was that moment where I had to decide, do I drive the hour home now and deal with these Monday morning - or do I deal with them now and be free (or fashionably late) Monday morning! Often I went with an even split!

Now some teachers would say that identical homework is what makes it easy to mark - I guess it does. I feel a little like a robot when I do it though! Easier to mark doesn't make it more enjoyable - and if one of my kids asked me if I had read their recount or remembered what they wrote for their maths question I usually would have had no idea.





One of my beautiful teacher friends, Rene, showed me a fantastic h/w sheet that one of her son's friends had done. It was fabulous! A contract where the kids got to choose their own homework!


I decided that the following term I would implement a similar homework system! Why shouldn't my class be able to choose their own homework adventure!? But for children it seemed to work - my class were excited each week about their homework and couldn't wait to make up their points/choose their own activities!

What's this got to do with
Banana Chocolate-Chip Cookies?

Nothing like milk & cookies

Well, one of my favourite homework activities was "Design a Cookie" - the children had to design their own unique cookie recipe. To present their cookie in their book students needed an ingredients list and a method for making the cookies! Well, wasn't I pleased when for the following two weeks, fabulous new cookies kept popping up on my desk! I hadn't even thought that they'd want to MAKE their unique cookie!! 


Before you ask, yes, there are certain 'rules' when it comes to accepting baked presents as a teacher! You get to know families that bake really good food! Likewise, you get to know kids who've probably had a nibble of the cookies before cheerily giving them to you! 


So I would always happily accept the cookies, then I would determine whether they were 'edible' or not!! :) I'm a sucker for cookies so usually I erred on the side of, "What the heck!" Nom nom nom! (There were a few that went straight in the bin though!) {awkward}

...Back to the cookies! (the ones I've baked!) 

I decided on Sunday that I wanted to use up my bananas... but not with Banana Bread! I love my Banana Bread recipe... but it seems to be baked far too frequently with the excessive amount of bananas that I buy. So I thought - what about a cookie! 

Here is my candid cookie creation - the
Banana Choc-Chip Cookie! 

Give them a try & let me know how they go... 

Maybe give your own Candid Cookie Creation a go! :)

Let me know what you come up with - I'll give you full marks I promise!

Yummy!