It’s that time of year again for brown bag lunches and busy fall schedules. To keep the kids healthy AND keep their sweet tooth happy, try these super simple, super clean cookies. What we love about these cookies is that they are very forgiving and flexible in terms of the goodies you add in at the end.
Consider adding almond butter, cocoa powder, protein powder, chopped almonds, canned pumpkin, extra cinnamon…the sky’s the limit!
The mashed bananas as the base is a great way to keep the cookies moist while providing a stable base packed with nutrition and energy. Adding oats provides essential fiber to keep little bellies full.
To keep these cookies totally gluten-free, look for certified gluten-free oats. Nutrition experts say that while oats have little to no gluten content, there is often such high crossover exposure to other gluten-containing products that it’s best to guarantee they won’t trigger your allergy or food sensitivity.
Whether you’re calorie counting, detoxing from sugar, or trying to keep your family on the right track as you transition back to school, these cookies are sure to keep taste buds and waistlines happy! Bonus: they’ve been served to people of all ages whether they had food sensitivities or not with rave reviews all around!
Back to School Cookies
makes 14 cookies
INGREDIENTS
3 mashed bananas (ripe)
1/3 cup applesauce, unsweetened
2 cups oats
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped nuts (we prefer almonds, walnuts are also good)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or carob chips (opt.)*
*adds sugar to the recipe, but a great way to moderate the sweet tooth!
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and add cookies in 2 inch flattened cookie form or spread out on length of sheet for granola bar style. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Also Try These Treats:
Brown Bag Cinnamon Raisin Popcorn
Recipe by Katie McGrath; Photos by Kacy Meinecke