Cookie Monster

Goodness. In Cookie Form. 

Those of you who enjoy eating healthy, but also occasionally like to have something sweet- these Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are for you. They are AMAZING. They are the perfect solution for Jon's sweet tooth, for my love for anything with chocolate and peanut butter, and for both of our goal to eat mostly healthy. Really, they're almost too good to be true. 

They're gluten free, (they can be) vegan, and they have no flour, eggs, or butter in them. I was delighted to find the recipe because while I love something sweet here and there, a lot of dessert doesn't sit well with me since gluten can be tricky for my digestive system to handle. 

Click the Read More button for the recipe!

Gluten-Free Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: 2 1/2 dozen cookies (at least) Prep time: about 15 minutes 

Cook time: 12-14 minutes 

Ingredients: 

3 large, very ripe bananas* 

1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter slightly warmed** 

1 Tablespoon of coconut oil, slightly warmed 

2 Tablespoons of honey or agave nectar*** 

1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract 

2 1/2 cups of gluten-free oats

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

3/4 cups of chocolate chips****

* peeled, obviously

** I prefer the natural kind... no hydrogenated oil for me!

*** If you'd like the cookies to be vegan, use the agave nectar

**** You could substitute these for vegan chocolate chips. Or if you're not a chocolate fan, you could use dried fruit, which give them more a granola bar feel. 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (If you happen to have parchment paper. I did not, and they turned out fine.) 

In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut oil, honey/agave, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

In a separate medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Then add the chocolate chips! 

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheet. 

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies look set. Let cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. (If you happen to have a cooling rack... which I do not. I'm still in the novice baking/cooking club. I don't have all the supplies quite yet. Jon's analogy: often, kitchen tools to women are like tool sets are to men. I am at the beginner tool box stage. I haven't progressed onto full on tool shed stage yet.) 

Then, you may eat them right away... BUT I like them better frozen. I advise you to freeze them, and then munch on. 

And then because you'll have so many frozen, amazing, semi-healthy cookies, bring some to work and share with your co-workers. They'll love you. 

I originally got this recipe from Maria and Josh's blog- Two Peas & Their Pod. They are the master chef creative geniuses behind the goodness in cookie in form. Check out their blog! They have lots of recipes. (And their food photography is waaaay better than my iphone can manage.) 

After you try these magic little cookies- let me know what you think! I bet you'll love them as much as I do! 

Much love, 

xo The Attic 

(Eating endless amounts of these cookies makes me think of Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake's hashtag skit. It's kind of old, but it's still so funny.) #ImTheRealCookieMonster