Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate, Banana, and Coconut

I ran across this recipe from Heidi Swanson and after my mouth started watering just by reading the ingredients list, I decided I had to give them a try. I usually put my own spin on most recipes I feature, but this one was so perfect, I stuck to the recipe as is. I love that there is no sugar (other than what is in the chocolate and the natural sugars of the banana) and yet the cookies have just the right amount of sweetness to curb even your toughest dessert cravings. This is the type of sweets fix that you can feel good about eating. Guilt be gone! Just make sure to keep your serving size to 1-2 cookies at a time.

Tip: Have a hard time with sweets in the house? Freeze them and just take out one serving at a time to thaw. That way, the temptation is less likely to wear on you.

Ingredients

• 3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, (warm slightly if needed, so it isn’t solid)
• 2 cups (160 g) organic rolled oats
• 2/3 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded and unsweetened
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 6 – 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar, chopped into tiny pieces (I used Scharffen berger 70%)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Using a tablespoon or small icre cream scoop, drop dollops of the dough, about an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, or as long as possible without burning the bottoms.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

Nutritional Info
36 servings = per serving

Calories: 92
Fat: 6 g
Carbs: 9 g
Protein: 2 g