Healthy Cookies: Bananas, Oats, Almonds, and Raisins

Back from our hike; treats for me and treats for the dogs...

I honestly believe having a baked good every day makes the world a better place. Well, it makes MY WORLD a better place.  

I just love having a cup of tea or a cup of coffee and a baked treat every single day.  But a baked treat each and every day probably is not good for my waistline... so I love the idea of healthy cookies. It seems like a good compromise.

These cookies are based on cookies I've seen on the blog called "Skinnytaste" (www.skinnytaste.com).  The basic recipe is 2 ripe bananas and 1 cup of quick or instant oats and you can add in other tasty bits. I've made this recipe before and added chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.  This time, I added in peanut butter, raisins, and chopped raw almonds.  Next time, I plan to add in peanut butter, chopped almonds, and mini-chocolate chips.  But this time, it was all about using up my ripe bananas and using what was already in my cupboards.

These cookies do taste very healthy but I enjoy them!  Another great thing about these cookies is that they freeze well. I portioned them out (two cookies in a snack sized Ziploc plastic bag) and placed all the cookies in the freezer.  Before I went for a hike with the dogs this morning, I pulled out a baggie of cookies and they were perfectly thawed by the time we got home.

Healthy Cookies:  Bananas, Oats, Almonds, and Raisins

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup uncooked quick/instant oats

2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used extra chunky)

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup raw almonds, finely chopped (I used my Pampered Chef food chopper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a non-stick cookie sheet with cooking spray or line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the mashed banana, oats, and peanut butter in a bowl.  Add in the raisins and almonds.  Stir well until combined.

Portion out the dough using a cookie scoop.  Cookies should measure approximately 1 tablespoon in size.  Place the cookies a few inches apart on the cookie sheet.  Flatten the cookies with your fingertips before baking.

Bake 15 minutes.

Makes 16 cookies (8 servings)

Notice how the cookies are flattened out before baking...

These cookies have a moist, soft texture and freeze well.  I love the addition of crunchy nuts for some contrast in texture.

Do you like the looks of the dog treats above?  Here is the RECIPE LINK.