Banana Cookies
INGREDIENTS
  • Cooking Time: 12-14 min
  • Servings: 12
  • Preparation Time: 10 min
  • 3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter or almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups rolled organic oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup chocolate or carob chips
  • optional: add 1/4 cup ground flax seeds or 1/4 cup chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
  1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat and set aside.
  2. 2. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. 3. In a second large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Stir in the peanut butter (or almond butter), maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Add the coconut oil last and stir in quickly before it solidifies. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate or carob chips and chia seeds (or flax).
  4. 4. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are set. Let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
RECIPE BACKSTORY
I was looking for a recipe to make healthy cookies for my 3 year old, and a friend mentioned banana breakfast cookies. I couldn't find the recipe she was talking about, but found a great one, and changed the sweetener from agave nectar to maple syrup (agave nectar has been promoted as a healthy alternative for a sweetener, but it has recently become questionable, so I avoid it, and find maple syrup to be an excellent sweetener). Almond butter is also a wonderful substitute for peanut butter in this recipe. They come out great every time, and can be vegan if you use vegan chocolate chips or carob chips. I also like to add chia or ground flax seeds for added nutrition (to compensate for this, I increased the amount of coconut oil in the recipe). It's great to have a "healthy" cookie for my 3 year old instead of one that I feel guilty giving her.