Sunday, February 28, 2010

Choc-oat-banana cookies

I've been craving classic Toll House chocolate chip cookies all week, but we're out of eggs. Now that I have a day off, I could go to the store... but it's cold out and I'm feeling lazy. Yet I still want cookies. I saved a recipe for Banana-Oat cookies a while ago and remembered that they were vegan (a.k.a. no eggs required)! I adapted the recipe a bit to fit my craving, so here's what I used:
1 banana, mashed (I bet they'd also be good with the equivalent amount of applesauce with a little extra flour to thicken it)
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup honey OR 1/3 cup agave nectar + 1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 rounded cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine banana, peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and almond milk in medium bowl. In separate bowl mix together oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir dry mixture into the banana mixture and mix until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on greased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes until they are lightly browned. Place on wire rack to cool. Makes a 18 cookies.
(This recipe would also be great when you have that one lonely overripe banana-- you don't want to waste it, but it's not enough for banana bread either) :o)






A note about agave nectar: I love brown sugar, but I can take or leave white sugar. I'm skeptical of Stevia and I think artificial sweeteners are disgusting chemical concoctions that will never improve the taste of my food. I do love honey as well, but it crystallizes quickly if I don't use it right away. I finally bought some agave nectar to try and a straight spoonful tastes like really mild honey. This is my first time baking with it and I can't tell the difference (Ross still doesn't know). It's supposed to have a lower glycemic index than sugar and honey and since it's sweeter, you use about 2/3 the amount (2/3 cup agave nectar replaces 1 cup sugar). I'm hoping to get some fresh, local honey at the farmer's market this summer but until then I do like agave nectar as an alternative option.
Yes, my blog makes it look like all I do is work, eat, run, (try to) sleep, and bake. And yes, that's an accurate portrayal of my life right now.






2 comments:

  1. Yum! These look SO good! I'm going to have to give this recipe a try asap!

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  2. Haha you know it's an alteration from the Banana-Oat cookie recipe I stole from your blog! lol

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