Banana PB Oatmeal Cookies

So the BEST part of these cookies, other than the fact that they are scrumptdillyumptious, is that you can be on a diet, and still eat them! WHAT!? Yep, you heard me! I didn't add in any sugar (there is a bit in the choc chips, but you can skip that if you really want) and if you're gluten free you you have a few options to work with, and on top of that a lot of the ingredients are optional or interchangeable. Don't ever tell me I didn't do anything for you! :-D 

So I had a ton of bananas that seemed to be multiplying faster than we were eating them. So I knew I had to do something before they defeated me. And thus was born the Banana PB oatmeal cookies! Personally, I don't subscribe to the generally well accepted theory that baking is a science. I make up ratios and quantities all the time, and for the most part the recipes do fine. Granted, sometimes it's like Dr. Frankenstein came up with the recipes, but usually, we're ok. The reason I sad that is because I wanted to encourage you to substitute if you need to substitute, and don't be scared of having to be super precise. 

These cookies turned out so delicious and there's absolutely no sweetener involved, except for the bananas and chocolate chips if you decide to use them. Ok! With that, let's get this party started! 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups oats

4 ripe mashed bananas

Optional

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup flour

1/2 -1 cup chocolate chip cookies

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/4 cup nuts

Note: As you can see, most of these items are optional. Really you could get away with two ingredients - the oats and bananas to make a banana cookie - it would taste a lot like banana bread, but the texture would be a little different than a cookie with egg and flour etc.  

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Step 2: Mash together the banana and peanut butter. I had some peanut butter powder (nothing else added) that was just sitting around, so I used that instead of the regular creamy stuff. 

I used a hand mixer for the whole process. 

Step 3: Combine flour, baking soda,  cinnamon, salt, and oats. I used white whole wheat flour, but you can use any flour - coconut would be a nice flavor choice - or skip it altogether. Add to mashed bananas and combine well.

Step 4: Add in chocolate chips. This is an optional step, but it does add some sweetness and overall deliciousness to the cookie. Alternatively or in addition, you could add in some nuts of your choosing.

Step 5: Add in egg (this probably should have been done in the first step but I forgot)

Step 6: Using a cookie scoop or in my case a tablespoon because I couldn't find the scoop, place the batter onto baking sheets.

The cookies don't really flatten on their own, so if you don't want little dumplings, you should shape them flatter before baking. Also I ran out of parchment paper and used aluminum foil. I told you, this isn't a science :-)

Step 7: Enjoy! These taste great cold or warmed up and goes great with a cup of coffee!