#LEAN14: those famous 2 ingredient cookies.

by 15 Comments

Back in February I made 3 Ingredient Banana Bread Cookies, inspired by these famous 2 ingredient cookies. I’ve seen the super short recipe for these cookies ALL over Pinterest, so I figured it must be a good one!

I’ll be honest – I thought that these would at least be a decent healthy cookie alternative, but not necessarily the best tasting. But it turns out that they are SO delicious!

2 Ingredient Healthy Cookies

All you need is 2 ripe (mashed) bananas and 1 cup of oats. Combine well, form into cookies and bake on a greased baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

I added dark chocolate chips and shredded coconut to mine to make them a bit more sweet and hearty.

2 Ingredient Healthy Cookies

These definitely have a strong banana flavor, so if you don’t love banana these might not be for you. I love them, though, especially with the balance of flavor from the dark chocolate and coconut add-ins.

2 Ingredient Healthy Cookies

I can’t stop eating these cookies! But that’s okay because they’re like, really healthy 😉

**********

Have you tried these two ingredient cookies? What mix-ins would you add?

#LEAN14: coconut banana chocolate chip cookies.

by 23 Comments

Full disclosure – this is the third time I’ve posted about these cookies.

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

They’re just that good. Not to mention the old pictures were crap. But let’s go with the former.

I haven’t made these in about two years and honestly forgot about them, but they recently got all sorts of buzz on Pinterest, so I figured it was a good time to make them again. You know, to make sure they still taste good.

They do.

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

coconut banana chocolate chip cookies.

grain free, paleo*, can be made vegan**
yields 10-15 cookies

 

dry ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

wet ingredients:

  • 1 large banana, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon honey OR maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil OR canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

mix-ins:

  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • other options: nuts, coconut flakes, dried fruit

* depending on how strict you are with honey/maple syrup and chocolate
** if you use maple syrup and sub carob chips

 

directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients, except for the milk.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together. Then add the milk 1/4 cup at a time and combine (it will seem like a lot of milk, but coconut flour is very dry and needs the extra moisture). Then mix in the chocolate chips.

Form cookies (about 1-2 tablespoons of dough) and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 23-25 minutes until edges begin to turn golden brown. Immediately transfer to cooling rack, and allow cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking with coconut flour can be tricky, but I think the addition of the banana and extra milk really works with these cookies. They’re soft, chewy, and a great healthy alternative to regular chocolate chip cookies.

**********

Have you ever baked with coconut flour?

3 ingredient banana bread cookies.

by 16 Comments

As soon as I got my first jar of Nikki’s Vanilla Cake Batter Coconut Butter the other day, I knew I needed to make something with it STAT. Since I just moved I don’t yet have many barely any baking ingredients, I searched for some inspiration and tried to find a way to use what I did have in stock.

This recipe was inspired by two other recipes – 3 Ingredient Vanilla Cake Batter Balls from Carrots ‘N’ Cake and 2 Ingredient Cookies from The Burlap Bag. It’s simple, healthy, and most importantly – delicious!

ingredients:

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the coconut butter for 60-90 seconds just so it gets soft and melty (make sure not to burn it). In a large bowl, mash together the banana, oats, and coconut butter (I found using my hands worked best). Form batter into 8-10 cookies, and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

I can’t believe how great these cookies are for having just three ingredients. They’re dense, chewy, and have the perfect amount of sweetness.

The cake batter flavor isn’t as strong as I thought it would be, but the combination of the vanilla flavor + banana really makes them taste like mini banana bread muffins!

This recipe can easily be doubled, and next time I’m definitely going to experiment with add-ins like coconut flakes and/or chocolate chips.

* If you don’t have Nikki’s, a regular coconut butter would work fine too. Please note I was not compensated in any way for this post.

**********

Have you tried any new cookie recipes lately?

{small batch} oatmeal breakfast cookies.

by 11 Comments

Cookies for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do.

I’m one of those people who loves sweets, but I refuse to try to “quit sugar.” That’s just not for me. Instead, I like to enjoy sweets in moderation, and also find healthy alternatives when I can. So the other week I came up with this simple recipe for Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies.

ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp ground flax + 4 tbsp warm water (flax “egg”)
  • 2.5 tbsp nut butter, melted
  • optional: add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc.

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the flax and water and let sit for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl combine oats, cinnamon, and baking powder. Then mix in the flax “egg” mixture, maple syrup, and nut butter until well combined.
Form 5 large cookies (or 7-8 smaller ones) and place on a greased baking pan.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Transfer to cooling rack and let cool for at least 5 minutes (make sure to let them cool – than can be sort of crumbly!).

This recipe can easily be doubled. I personally like that it makes 5 larger cookies (one for each weekday), which is great paired with a smoothie for a complete breakfast.

These turned out just as a “breakfast cookie” should be – hearty, chewy, and not too sweet. I love adding an additional smear of peanut butter on top!

**********

What are your thoughts on healthy treats? Do you prefer just going for the real thing?