I’m constantly trying to justify my sweet tooth by finding recipes and baked goods that provide some healthy attribute, or aren’t completely sinful.  Though vegan recipes are not completely guilt free, they often offer nutritional benefits, and remove some level of guilt.

I found this below recipe when I was surfing through a few blogs online.  It intrigued me because it included some of my favorite ingredients: oats, peanut butter, and bananas.  What could go wrong?

At the end of the day I think these cookies are good snacks but I would not put them in the category of a crave-able treat.  They are not super sweet, and though the PB and banana add to the taste, they aren’t particularly exciting.  I think these would be best enjoyed as an energy booster when you would otherwise grab a granola bar.  And in the future I would also consider adding some mix ins like chocolate chips (obvi not vegan), nuts, or dried fruit.

Vegan Banana Maple Cookies

Adapted from Pumps and Iron

Yields about 20

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole grain rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
•  ¼ cup brown sugar (I added this because the batter was not sweet at all)
• 1 banana
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls (brown sugar is a wet).
3. Combine both mixtures.

   

4. Spoon onto cookie sheets and bake 8-13 minutes.  The dough will not change shape much, so make sure they are the desired shape when they go into the oven.