Healthy Banana & Oat Breakfast Cookies with Cranberries and Nuts
I don’t really cook anything for Carson that has no added sugars or is made with only whole grains. I don’t get locally grown organic fruits and vegetables at the farmers market. I don’t say “no” to fast food. I’m not anti health food and I don’t roll my eyes at people who do those things. I make sure Carson gets fruits and veggies every day. I don’t let the child skip dinner and then get cookies before bed. I’m not unconcerned with healthy eating, I’m just not overly concerned with it. But, if I see something that looks easy and healthy for my kids I will try it. And that is what led me to try these cookies.
When I saw these cookies on Pinterest I thought, “What a simple recipe! This person says they’re awesome! So they must be!” A couple of mashed bananas, oats and nuts. No added sugar. No butter or shortening. I gave them a shot. These are advertised as “cookies”. Sorry. They’re not cookies. Not cookies as I know them. I like sugar and butter, and I think they have their place. And that place is in cookies. So when I ate one of these after they came out of the oven I was really disappointed. Not because they were bad, they just weren’t cookies. I don’t know why I thought they’d taste like anything other than banana, oats and nuts. Maybe because I fell victim to another Pinterest post and its false promises. If there is one thing Pinterest has taught me it is to be skeptical. And that the options for IKEA furniture are endless. I gave one of the cookies to Carson. He took one bite, took the bite out of his mouth and left it all on the table. Fail.
I packed them in a tupperware after they had cooled and stashed them in the freezer because I cannot throw food away. It almost physically hurts me to do it. The next morning I saw them in the freezer and thought I’d try one again. I took one out and microwaved it for 15 seconds. It was surprisingly tasty, and a really perfect breakfast cookie. Not too sweet. Full of hearty oats. Nuts for protein. Cranberries for tartness. A touch of cinnamon. I ate these for breakfast the rest of the week.
So these didn’t turn out to be a great toddler cookies (not for my toddler anyway) but I enjoyed them after accepting that they were not sweet dessert cookies. These are breakfast cookies, and a couple of them with a cup of coffee and some fruit made for a lovely start to the day.
Banana & Oat Breakfast Cookies
From Skinnytaste
Makes 12-18
Ingredients
- 2 medium semi ripe bananas
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup roughly chopped nuts
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup cranberries (or other dried fruit)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Mash bananas until smooth.
- Mix in oats, cinnamon, nuts and fruit.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes.