Guilt-free Cookies

Thanks for all the kind words, both here on the blog and on the blog's facebook page, from yesterday's post.  I wish I could go back in time and tell my 15 year old self, "Don't worry, you're going to end up with some really awesome friends!"  :)

Yesterday I posted a sneak peek on my Instagram account of this cookie recipe.  I've seen this recipe floating around the internet, so yesterday I decided to put my own spin on it.

There is a debate about whether or not oats contain gluten.  Since I'm not celiac, I just eat whatever doesn't bother me.  Oats don't give me any problems, so I eat them.  If you're celiac, please make sure you find certified gluten-free oats!

Here's the recipe (adapted from countless sources around the internet):

Ingredients

2 bananas

1/2 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

add-ins of choice (I used craisins and chocolate chunks)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix the cinnamon into the oats.

Mash the bananas into the oats.

You may need to adjust the number of bananas.  Here in Brazil, the bananas we use are small.  I started with one banana and 1/2 cup oats, but I needed to add a second banana to give it more of a cookie dough texture. I suppose you could mix it all in the food processor, but I mashed them by hand!

Mix in your add-ins, making sure you don't add too much.   The dough needs to be able to stick together.

Grease a cookie pan.

Scoop your cookie dough onto the cookie pan.  It is important that you shape the dough into cookie shapes, and flatten the tops.  These do not melt when they bake - the shape you put them in is the shape they will stay!

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the outside looks and feels kind of crispy.

Let cool a little bit before eating.

Yield: about 8 medium-sized cookies

These cookies are sooo good!  Slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside.  They do have a strong banana flavor, so if you don't like bananas, you won't like this recipe.  The banana flavor tastes more like dehydrated bananas (which I prefer) than fresh bananas.

I think these would be amazing with craisins, coconut flakes, and white chocolate.

What's your favorite cookie combination?

XO,

Julie

P.S.

I started doing the Pilates Beginner's Calendar on Blogilates.  It's so fun and the instructor is so motivating!  If you're looking for free, at-home exercising, give pilates a try!