Totally Bananas!

Over here in the Seattle area, we are experiencing a bit of a heat wave.  It is HOT out. Really, anything over the mid 80's is considered hot over here.  And it's not because we're wimps that are too used to the rain and cloud cover.  Three words explain any complaints about warm weather - No Air Conditioning.  We are simply unprepared for hot temperatures, as a majority of the homes have no air conditioning.  So on a day like today, where the temperatures are going to reach in the 90's, it is miserable.  The windows and doors are open, fans are on, but you can't really combat 90 degree temperatures with a fan.

I'm telling you this, as even though my house is as hot as an oven, I'm braving the high temperatures and actually turning on the oven.  Crazy right?  Not if you have a craving for chocolate chip cookies though. Now I try to eat as healthy as possible these days.  It's been almost a year that I made a conscious decision to lead a more healthy lifestyle and it has definitely paid off.  So these days, when I get a craving for chocolate chip cookies, I make a healthy cookie that will satisfy my sweet tooth.  Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I know, they look different, and if you HAVE to have a chocolate chip cookie, a real one that is, you may not accept these as a substitute, but I love them.  In fact in my family of four, these have a 75% approval rating, which is high marks for a healthy cookie.  Especially since my son is a notoriously picky eater, and distrusts most food in general.  My daughter will gobble these up and even my husband, who definitely has a big sweet tooth likes these.  So, down to business, what makes these cookies so healthy?  Very simple, they have no added oil, eggs, or sugar.  In fact, they are made with only 3 ingredients.  Ripe bananas, oatmeal, and chocolate chips.

Today I'm making a small batch, as I only have 3 ripe bananas, but you can easily expand this recipe based on how many bananas you have.  The first step is to peel your ripe bananas and break them into chunks.

 
This makes blending them a bit easier.  I use a simple hand mixer for this recipe, but you could break out your big Kitchen Aid if you'd like, or use good old fashioned hand power as well.  You want to blend your bananas until they're nice and mushy, with just some small chunks visible.

Next you're going to add the oatmeal.  You need to use the old fashioned, non quick cooking oats.  Blend in the oats with the bananas on low speed, it shouldn't take too long to mix these two together.  You're going to have a oat banana mix that honestly looks a bit gross at this point, but I promise you it will taste good.

Now blend in your chocolate chips and you're finished!  Wasn't that easy?

I've experimented a bit with the best way to cook these babies.  They tend to stick to most surfaces, so they seem to do well on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  I also spray the parchment paper with a non-stick cooking spray, because I've had issues with the cookies sticking to the parchment as well.  Simply spoon your cookie batter onto the parchment covered cookie sheet.  These cookies don't spread or rise, so you can group them fairly close without any complications.

Slip your cookies into a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.  You want your cookie to basically "set" in the oven.  They shouldn't be mushy or liquidy (I don't believe that's an actual word, but it works).  My test is to touch the top of a few cookies with a finger, if they feel firm, then they're ready to come out.  Don't wait for them to brown, as they don't really do that.

After they come out of the oven, I slip the parchment onto a cooling rack, removing the actual cookie sheet.  I let them sit and cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cookies from the parchment onto the cooling rack.  Done and ready to devour!

I would love to take credit for the delicious concoction, but I actually found it here.  The thing that I love about these cookies, is that you can really make them your own.  If you don't like chocolate (is there really someone out there like that) you can use other ingredients to mix in.  What about coconut, or toffee chips?  You could also spice it up, maybe add some cinnamon?

Whatever ingredients you add, I hope you end up enjoying these cookies as much as I do.  Now, time to eat some cookies outside on the porch and hope for a cool breeze.

BANANA OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of old fashioned oats (do not use quick cooking oats)
• 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray paper lightly with non-stick cooking spray
• Break bananas into small chunks and blend with hand mixer.  Add in oats and chocolate chips and mix until blended together well.
• Spoon batter onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until cookies are firm
• Remove cookie sheet and place parchment paper with cookies on cooling rack for 5 minutes