Friday, March 21, 2014

Healthy Banana Cookies

I have been seeing these banana cookies on Facebook a LOT. Different versions. But I liked the one I started with the best and decided it's capabilities were truly endless. They take me 5 minutes to whip together and about 10 minutes to bake.

No flour, no sugar, no oil, nothing unhealthy unless you choose to add it.



The recipe I developed into and use:

3 mashed bananas
2 cups oats
1/3 cup fruit puree [applesauce, mango, pineapple, pear, blueberry, etc.]
1/4 cup liquid [coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, fruit juice, etc.]
1 cup fruit [small or diced, dried, or fresh firm fruits, such as dried blueberries/cranberries/apricot/etc., coconut flakes, diced apple or pear]
1/2 C finely chopped nuts or seeds [optional, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.]
1 teaspoon extract [vanilla, almond, mint, etc.]

Preheated oven, 350 degrees, 10-15 minutes, spray the cookie sheets.


Ready to go into the oven...mango puree, coconut milk, coconut flakes, mixed nuts, vanilla
I think the liquid really adds a moistness that I prefer. The outside is firm and the center moist and chewy. There is nothing bad in these! 

I'm making 1-2 batches a week and the children have free access to them. 

Notes:
  • I have a convection oven. I only need 10-12 minutes to cook these, I would imagine a regular oven would need 15.
  • These have no oil, so you really need to spray the cookie sheet.
  • They come out like they go in. They do not spread. If I use a small cookie scoop I leave them be, but if I use the ice cream scoop, then I flatten down the tops.
  • They make 2 dozen small scoop cookies or 1 dozen large scoop cookies.
  • I make my own fruit purees in my Magic Bullet. I can whirl up super soft mangos, fresh berries, roasted sweet potatoes, etc. for use in these.
  • I have also added a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of flax seed to up the nutritional component on occasion.
  • I use my Pampered Chef food chopper to chop the nuts.
  • To keep the cookies moist, I place them in a Ziploc once cool.

Blueberry puree, coconut, mixed nuts
The recipe I started with from FB:

3 mashed bananas
2 cups oats
1/3 C applesauce
1/4 C milk
1 C raisins

Simplest one I've found:

3 mashed bananas
2 cups oats
1 cup raisins
Tags: banana, cookie, healthy, cookies, quick, easy, nutritional, fruit, gluten free, sugar free, child care, daycare, snack, child, toddler, preschool, preschooler







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