Two Ingredients, One “Cookie”

This “cookie” recipe was a great find this year. Someone in my program at Cornell made these “cookies” for a get-together, and I was immediately intrigued. All I could think was, “Just bananas and oats? Are you sure?” They seemed like a trick; the “cookies” seemed too simple, so there had to be a catch, right? I always buy too many bananas, and they end up overly ripe on my counter. Now, I purposefully buy too many bananas just to make these cookies or freeze for smoothies. The mashed banana is a natural glue to bind the oats and whatever else you decide to throw in. Simply and delicious — the perfect guilt-free dessert or snack!

Main Ingredients.

• 2 large riped bananas
• 1 c oats

Suggested Mix-Ins.

• Dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg
• Mini semisweet chocolate chips
• Chopped nuts
• Raisins or dried cranberries
• Unsweetened coconut flakes
• Sea salt
• Nutella, PB2 or nut butter

Directions.

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease cookie sheet.
2. Mash bananas. Then mix in oats.
3. Add optional ingredients if desired. I added a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg to all and then mini semisweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips to half of the cookies. If I have walnuts, those are usually a must to add. They add just a bit of crunch.
4. Place spoonful of mixture onto greased cookie sheet. This should make about 14 cookies.
5. Bake for 10-12 min until cookies are “solid.”
6. Remove when done, cool and enjoy! Be sure to store in refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from The Burlap Bag. They also suggest making “Autumn” cookies with pumpkin purée and “Summer” cookies with mashed peaches as substitutes for mashed bananas.