Healthy Baking

 

I have found something new to make with those brown, mushy, gnat-enticing bananas: Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies! There's NO flour and NO sugar, and kids still like them (husbands,too)! I found this recipe on a great parenting website (www.babble.com) while looking for ideas for Regan's preschool snacks. They are surprisingly good - we had them for breakfast!

 

Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups oatmeal

1/3 cup shredded coconut (optional)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 - 1 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mash bananas and mix with peanut butter, oil and vanilla.  In another bowl, mix together oats, coconut, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, along with the chocolate and stir until combined.  Drop spoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake 12-14 minutes.

My cookies were pretty moist inside, but were cooked through. I really like the peanut butter/banana combo! And, well, the chocolate is a given...