Chocolate dipped bananas are popular at fairs, carnivals, and during episodes of Arrested Development.

Now the chocolate and banana combination has made its way into Chips Ahoy’s crunchy cookie. As you can see in the photos, these Limited Edition Chocolate Banana Chips Ahoy Cookies have chocolate and banana flavored chips. Actually, they’re more like chunks. They appear to be slightly more substantial than the chocolate found in regular Chips Ahoy cookies.

Now Nabisco could’ve gone a few routes to get the banana flavor. Banana chips is one way. But looking at the price of banana chips at my local Safeway and the saturated fat content on the internet, it’s probably not a good choice.

Freeze-dried bananas is another option. But while they’re great for astronauts and monkeys we send into space, their weird texture wouldn’t be so great with a crunchy cookie.

They also could’ve baked banana Runts into them, which, to me, would’ve been super cool. But with all the banana Runts hate in the world it would’ve also been super not profitable.

Instead Nabisco’s bakers went with, according to the packaging’s front, “naturally flavored” banana chunks. Those quotes are there because “banana” doesn’t appear anywhere in the list of two dozen ingredients, but there is the mysterious “natural and artificial flavor.” (Let’s be honest, a naturally flavored banana product without “banana” in the ingredients is a bit…well, unnatural sounding.) The banana chunks aren’t like the chocolate chunks. They’re more like flavored toffee and crunchy like the cookie they’re enclosed in.

From the moment I first unsealed the resealable package and inhaled that “natural” banana aroma with a hint of chocolate, I knew I was going to love these. The banana flavor is pleasant and mild, but then again an actual banana’s flavor is mild as well. It’s somewhere between being natural and artificial tasting. Also, it’s stronger than the chocolate.

Before I took a bite out of a cookie, I could taste the banana in my mouth. This made me wonder if there was banana flavoring in the cookie dough. Because there were so many damn chunks in each cookie, nibbling around them was difficult and I couldn’t get a definite answer.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chocolate dipped banana, so I can’t say if the flavor is the same. But the chocolate definitely takes a backseat to the banana. There were times when I could taste the chocolate, but the banana is top banana here.

While I do love these cookies, I had some issues. It appears I was, perhaps, gypped a cookie. The tray has three sections and the two outer sections had six cookies, while the middle tray had five. You owe me a cookie, Nabisco! Also, there were fleeting moments when I thought I tasted black pepper.

Last year, Nabisco released their Ice Cream Creations line. If this flavor was released with those, I think it could’ve easily been a banana split variety. But it would’ve also been my second favorite behind the wonderful Root Beer Float Chips Ahoy Cookies.

But those root beer float-flavored cookies are now gone and I’m sad about that. And I’ll feel that same when these Limited Edition Chocolate Banana Chips Ahoy Cookies disappear from shelves too.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 160 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 30 milligrams of potassium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Item: Limited Edition Chocolate Banana Chips Ahoy Cookies
Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 9.5 oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: I love these cookies, but I do love bananas (and artificial banana flavored candy). Nice mild banana flavor. Lots of chocolate and banana flavored chunks. Arrested Development.
Cons: Limited edition. Nabisco might’ve forgot a cookie. Chocolate tastes a backseat to the banana. Occasional fleeting black pepper flavor.