Banana, oat, & nut butter cookies

A healthy gluten-free treat — no really!

I hate the term "healthy cookies" as much as the next butter and sugar lover, but these cookies make healthy addictive. They're little nuggets of delicious natural things mixed together, scooped onto a cookie sheet, and baked for just 15 minutes. You can mix them up in one bowl, bake them on tin foil or parchment paper, and voila! Something scrumptious and healthy with minimal clean up. 

Here's the main cast of characters: quick oats, almond or peanut butter (I really use them interchangeably), maple syrup or honey (I've been using honey), and bananas. What makes these cookies sing, of course, are the semi-sweet chocolate chips and sliced almonds — both optional, but why would you opt out of such deliciousness? 

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BANANA, OAT, & NUT BUTTER COOKIES
** Makes 2 dozen cookies **

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
2 and 1/3 cups quick oats (not whole oats)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup nut butter (peanut or almond)
1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup 
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 to 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 to 2/3 cup sliced almonds

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or tin foil and set aside. 

2. Combine the oats, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix with a fork to combine. Add nut butter, honey/maple syrup, mashed bananas, and vanilla and use a large spoon or spatula to mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and sliced almonds.

3. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. I measure 1 TBS of batter, round it out, and make each cookie that size — but you can do more or less dough per cookie as you like. Use the back of a spoon to slightly flatten the top of each ball of batter (the cookies will not spread in the oven). Drizzle each cookie with a touch of honey/maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

4. Bake for 15 minutes until the cookies are baked through and will hold together. Let them cool at least 10 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for one week.

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I don't think of these cookies as dessert really. They're not going to replace turtle sundae pie or killer brownies. I think of these cookies as a granola bar, on-the-go breakfast, or something to cure my sweet tooth in a healthier way — and they've got me hooked!