Chocolate Chip Cookies {+bananas!}

 

I found this recipe while reading Bethenny Frankel’s first book, Naturally Thin and I have been making them ever since.  You can find her original recipe here.

The secret to these cookies is that they are actually quite healthy!

Part of the healthy factor comes from using bananas in place of your usual source of fat such as eggs or butter.  This recipe is also vegan and dairy free.

I typically double the batch and freeze half.  So I use about 2  bananas which equals about 1 cup.

All the dry ingredients are combined in one bowl,

and then the bananas and the other wet ingredients are mixed in.

After mixing the dry & wet ingredients (I mix mine by hand, it’s very easy!),

next comes the important part of adding the semi-sweet chocolate chips!

Voila! After a short 10-12 minutes you have a great snack to satisfy a sweet tooth or for a breakfast on the go!  I eat one before every one of my long marathon training runs!

Jenn’s version of Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies (remember I usually double this):

1 1/2 cups oat flour

3/4 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt (I usually skip this)

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (if vegan, carob chips or vegan chocolate chips)

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/3 cup soy or almond milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1/2 cup banana puree (approx. 1 medium banana)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, and then combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix together and then add in semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop spoonfuls of batter to form cookies.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are light brown.

Nutrition facts: (courtesy of  Spark People Recipe Calculator)                                                   Servings Per Recipe: 18 (single batch and making small cookies)

Calories per cookie: 97.3
Total Fat: 2.4 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 53.6 mg
Total Carbs: 17.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
Protein: 1.7 g