Healthy Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies

Peanut butter. Banana. Cookie. Awesome trio, right? I'm not lying here, folks, these Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies are The BEST! And better yet, they're sugar-free, gluten-free and SO flippin' easy to whip up! How can this even be possible? I just don't know...but it is!These Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies are packed with protein and make a great grab-and-go snack or lunch time treat. They're also very versatile, and can easily be enhanced with chocolate chips, sesame seeds, hemp hearts, raisins, berries, chia or whatever else your heart desires.Now, I certainly don't pride myself on being a great baker. Actually, to be honest, I don't really enjoy baking. There's too many rules involved, and because I'm a bad-ass rule-breaker in the kitchen, I naturally prefer cooking, where I can let my creativity soar.That being said, I am a housewife, and my husband and kiddo love cookies, banana bread, and chocolate muffins, so I have to get my "bake on" once in a while. It sort of comes with the job description, I suppose.But even though my baking skills are lacking, I am really great at healthify-ing unhealthy recipes. For example, this cookie recipe, believe it or not, originated from the side of a ripe-banana bag (and I'll never pass up a bag of price-reduced, organic bananas!) By swapping a few of the ingredients for healthier alternatives, a new and improved cookie was born!

How to Easily "Healthify" a Baking Recipe

• Fresh dates and a ripe banana are the best sweeteners when it comes to baking. Next time you see a recipe call for sugar, consider adding 10 dates and/or a ripe banana instead.
• Instead of white flour, opt for ancient grains such as einkorn or spelt flour, which are lower in gluten and contain more nutrients. For some recipes, like cookies and pancakes, gluten-free oat flour will also do the trick (recipe below).
• If your recipe calls for margarine, canola, or some other kind of refined, vegetable oil, swap it out for coconut oil or grass fed butter.
• Don't be afraid to add nutritious extras like nuts, seeds, chia, hemp hearts, berries etc.
• Last but not least, avoid Teflon and other non-stick bake wear. The toxic coating can end up in your food, or off-gas when heated. I prefer to use silicone baking mats and stainless steel baking trays.

How to Make Oat Flour

Make an easy, gluten-free flour in seconds using organic, rolled oats, like this. To make 1 1/2 cups of oat flour for this recipe, simple place 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats in a blender, and blend on high speed until you have a fine, flour.That's it! You're now ready to made the best sugar-free, gluten-free, peanut butter and banana cookies ever!

The Best Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies - Gluten-free, Sugar-Free

Author: Modern Hippie Housewife

The yummiest gluten-free, sugar-free Peanut Butter & Banana Cookies in town! Your kids will never know the difference!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Oat Flour (see above for how to make)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Ripe Banana (about 1/2 cup)
• 10 Fresh Dates, pitted
• 1/4 cup Coconut Oil
• 1/4 cup Peanut Butter (or substitute for another nut butter, like almond or cashew)
• 1 Egg, free-range
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional but recommended!)
• 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds, hemp hearts etc. (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix oat flour and baking soda.
3. Add banana, dates, coconut oil and peanut butter to a food processor, or stand mixer on high. Pulse/mix until fully combined and dates are in small pieces.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla.
5. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture.
6. Add chocolate chips and any other optional ingredients.
7. Shape the dough in to one inch balls and place two inches apart on a silicone or stainless steel, greased cookie sheet.
8. Use a fork to press down the center of each cookie.
9. Bake for 10 minutes.

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