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Peanut-Butter-Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal Cookies

It's a mouthful to say, but I can't think of a better name, and anyway, it's not my recipe. The author of the recipe simply calls them "Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies," but I feel that's misleading. I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to make it last week for a former coworker's last day in the office. One of the reasons I chose this particular recipe among all of the varieties of "healthy" peanut butter oatmeal cookies was because it required two ripe bananas, and I happened to have two bananas that were almost too ripe to eat as they were. Plus, it's a really easy recipe, and it uses no oil or flour. These can easily be gluten-free and vegan; I did not buy certified gluten-free oats, because they're pricey, but regular oats are still largely gluten-free. And the chocolate chips I bought are not completely vegan, but again, they're close. Sunspire does carry a wide variety of "chocolate" chips, some of which are completely vegan (carob, etc.).

Mashing the bananas in the bowl is probably the most strenuous step (and granted, there's probably an easier way to do it than with the back of a spoon, but it did get the job done eventually). I did add about a tablespoon of honey to this recipe, which it doesn't call for, because I wanted them to actually taste like cookies and not health-food bars. Oh, and I pretty much doubled the chocolate chips that the recipe calls for, because otherwise each cookie would get about one chocolate chip (even the author of the recipe notes that she added some on top at the end). I don't (think I) have nutmeg or cloves, so I didn't bother with those; but I instead doubled the cinnamon. And instead of adding nuts, I just bought crunchy peanut butter, which already has pieces of peanuts in it (in case you didn't know what crunchy peanut butter was). And one more alteration: I spilled the vanilla both times I made these. So I guess I actually do have my own recipe in the end.

Ingredients, dirty bowl, and spooned cookies before baking.

The recipe says to bake the cookies for 20-30 minutes, which is quite a significant time range. But I ended up taking them out when the coconut started to brown on the edges, which was around 22 minutes.

After baking. Yum!

The cookies came out pretty dense and moist; they are, after all, made with bananas and apple sauce. So they probably wouldn't get very crisp no matter how long they were in the oven (which is fine by me, as I prefer moist to crispy). I of course had to taste-test one of them, and I thought it was pretty darn good--glad I added the extra chocolate chips. I had Tim taste part of it, too, and only then did I learn that he doesn't like coconut. Like in a big way. 

I don't really know if my former co-worker liked them or not. I gave them to her the next day, thinking she might share them around the office or something. But she just took them all home. Which is perfectly fine with me, but for all I know she could have thrown them away. I did warn her that they tasted a little on the healthy side.

Since I still had plenty of ingredients leftover for another batch this week (plus more almost too-ripe bananas), I decided to make some for a friend's birthday party this evening, only this time I didn't add the coconut. Plus, I know this friend will appreciate the health-consciousness of them, as she's a super-athlete and my Crossboot coach!
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