Banana Cookies Conquer Your Kitchen

I know what you're thinking...and it's not good.

With a post title like this, you're likely assuming that I'm about to rave about some grain-filled, seed-filled, dry fruit-loaded, crumbly flax cookie.

Hooray for health food!

You'd be so wrong.

Although I've made my fair share of the afore-mentioned seed-filled flax cookies (and I personally love them!), tonight I'm going to review a cookbook I've been lusting after in Barnes & Noble for the past month: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. Although I don't own the cookbook, I've read it cover-to-cover while hanging out at the book store (I know, I'm so cool), and I'm officially in love.

Authors Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero tempt your sweetest tooth with mouth-watering pictures and recipes that exceed my expectations of both food creativity and delicious-ness.

Among dozens of others, you'll find recipes for:

- Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows (Remember grandma's chocolate-peanut butter balls that she only busts out at Christmas? Yea, they've got nothing on these).

-Spiced Sweet Potato Blondies (You know how I feel about sweet potatoes.)

-Lazy Samoas (And you thought only the Girl Scouts knew how. Nope! You can replicate them at home with this recipe)

-Oreos (That's right: completely vegan, completely heavenly)

-Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Brownies (I'm speechless on this one. They're just. That. Good.)

Okay, enough teasing. I'll dish on a recipe now :)

I tried their Banana Oatmeal Cookie recipe this week, and as far as "healthy" cookies go, I'm in love. This is a fabulous treat to try if you're:

a) craving banana bread but don't want to wait an hour for it to bake.

b) in need of something sweet, but a little on the lighter side.

c) seeking a use for a quickly-darkening banana hanging around your kitchen.

d) in love with bananas and adore desserts.

e) just plain hungry.

Remember: the riper the banana, the better the flavor. When bananas start turning black, I often freeze them and save for pancakes, cookies, and breads.

Happy Baking!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

(From the cookbook Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

Don't be intimidated by the slightly lengthy ingredient list...it's well worth it! With vegan and vegetarian treats, you'll often find more seasonings and flavorings which help compensate for the lack of richness from dairy products.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup mashed banana
• 2 TBSP flaxseed
• 1/4 cup milk (skim or soy)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.

2) Combine the first seven ingredients (through the vanilla) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients.

3) Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

4) Drop by tablespoon-fuls on baking sheet. Bake for 7 -8 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Yield: about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen small cookies