This month I’ve been trying to cut sugar and flour out of my diet while adding extra protein. The first few weeks weren’t too bad. I stayed full from all the extra protein and ate fruit when I wanted something sweet. Still, there comes a day when girl just needs a chocolate chip cooke :-) And, this recipe fit the bill perfectly! Granted, it’s not Grandma’s homemade cookie but it’s inexpensive to make, super simple, includes only ingredients you already have and will knock out the cravings.

Ingredients

4 very ripe bananas (to ripen bananas you can place them on a pan in the oven on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Leave them in the peel which will turn black. Be sure to let them cool before you peel them as they will be super hot with hot liquid that runs out as you peel)

2 eggs

1/8 a cup of coconut oil (you can use any oil or butter but I like coconut oil because its healthier)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal (mix one cup in the blender or food processor with the other ingredients and save one cup to mix in as whole oats after you make the batter)

1/2 a bag of dark chocolate chips (you can omit chocolate chips and substitute cranberries, raisons, walnuts or any combination)

In a blender or food processor mix 1 cup of oats, the salt, and the baking powder. Shake it up or stir it to mix the dry ingredients before adding the liquid ones. Add two eggs, the coconut oil and the vanilla. Blend just long enough to grind the oats. Don’t over blend as this can affect the density of the cookies. Stir in the chocolate chips, extra cup of oats and any other goodies you desire. Bake on 325 until you start to see the tips of the oats getting brown - about 15 minutes.

This is a very forgiving recipe and easy to adjust to individual preferences. Sometimes instead of cookies I will shape the batter into bars for a homemade granola bars or into a loaf (this needs to be baked about 30 min depending on the size of the loaf). I also like to take mine out of the oven when its really soft as it tends to become firmer as it cools. Its a great base recipe to tweak and make your very own! I would just suggest eating, refrigerating or freezing it the same day that you bake it due to the ripe bananas. Otherwise the flavor seems to change somewhat.

Doesn’t hold a candle to old fashioned, homemade cookies (not too many blogs would tell you that lol)! But, I don’t think there’s anything out there that can compete with it in regards to being healthy, clean eating, simple, inexpensive and yummy!!

Happy baking :-)