Nikki's healthy cookies at 101 Cookbooks
I *sort of* made these cookies once before---I didn't feel like making almond meal, so I subbed whole wheat pastry flour. That's no minor substitution, plus I'm pretty sure I underbaked them. Still, they were promising, so I've been meaning to get back to this recipe and make it as directed. I almost did that today: I omitted the chocolate chunks, to kick off my "heck, if I can go dairy-free and survive, and I can and probably SHOULD go sugar-free" resolution. I threw in 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder instead and was pleased to find that these cookies are delicious, answer a chocolate craving quite well, and remain completely sugar-free.
About that! I'm putting it out there for "accountability," which is more of a psychological trick than a serious plea for my two or three readers to check up on me to see if I've held fast to my resolution. There is little doubt in my mind that whether or not sugar is in fact inherently addictive (and studies with lab rats have suggested so), I am a veteran addict. Seeing as I would prefer to live my life free from any addiction, however innocuous the substance, it's time to tackle this. I thought giving up dairy for the sake of a baby with cow's milk protein intolerance would be hard. It was, for about a week, and for moments here and there. But largely the anticipation was much worse than the reality. As with dairy-free diets, there is no shortage of recipes and ideas for alternatives. Dessert is obviously not necessary to life and health---well, unless you are a sugar addict and we are talking mental health, in which case I strongly suspect the endless craving for more sugar contributes to irritability, among other things, because it is really annoying to have a little voice in your head constantly suggesting that you sneak another cookie/piece of candy/whatever you should only have small amounts of. I'm no chemist or food scientist, so I don't know if there is something fundamentally different about (let's say, refined white) sugar as opposed to the sugars found in fruits and other foods, but I think it would be a great starting point for me to learn to make fruit-sweetened desserts/baked goods (the latter will probably be more of a challenge, as I know my baking experiments with honey haven't gone so well). Fruit seems like nature's way of pleasing a sweet tooth with some actual nutritive content, rather than empty (and non-filling) calories. Once I run out of my nearly-empty bag of sugar, I simply won't buy anymore, which will make it very hard indeed to cheat on this.
Back to the cookies. These are *fantastic* a few minutes out of the oven, when they retain some crispness; after storage for a few hours they become quite soft, but if you've baked them long enough (basically as long as you can without them browning on the bottom), they won't be unpalatably mushy. Enjoy.
Laura's take on Nikki's healthy cookies
3 ripe bananas, mashed well
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. olive oil (not extra-virgin)
2 c. old-fashioned oats
2/3 c. almond meal (make your own in a processor with the same amount of whole raw almonds, processed to a sandy texture: this doesn't have to be super precise)
1/3 c. unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds
1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1) Preheat oven to 350 with racks in the upper and lower third positions. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.
2) In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, cocoa powder, vanilla, and oil. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients, then mix in with the wet until you have a loose dough. Drop scant tablespoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating and swapping midway through, about 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets and store in an airtight container.
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