Easy-bake energy cookies

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These easy to make, healthy and incredibly delicious nuggets of energy, will leave you feeling satiated and thrilled to have bridged the gap between good-for-you and oh-so-yum!  They may look unassuming but wait ‘till you take a bite!

I received my inspiration, and the basic formula, from Philippa Vanstone’s “500 Cookies” compendium. But then I couldn’t resist making it my own by adding a few extra touches. There’s great room for improvisation with these cookies, which makes them that much more popular as a quick bake. Once you have the basics, the frills are up to you.

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Easy-bake Energy Cookies
 
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Ingredients
  • The Basics

  • 3 large overripe bananas or 4 medium overripe bananas (if they are brown on the outside and mushy to the touch, all the better)
  • Two cups rolled oats
  • One cup pitted and diced dates
  • ⅓ cup (80 ml.) oil (I use olive oil for this recipe)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • The Frills

  • A handful of unsweetened coconut shreds
  • Handful of almond slivers
  • A few tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup diced dry apricots
  • Handful of dry cranberries
  • Raisins (if you like them)

  • (It would be too much to include everything listed above. The list is a guideline to combine a few of these additional ingredients with the recipe above, depending on what you have in the house. My staples: almond slivers, coconut shreds and cranberries. Any other combo would add its own subtle flare. I like to vary things up.)
Instructions
  1. Peel the bananas and place them in a large bowl, add the chopped dates, the oats, oil, vanilla and any of the frills. Mix by hand – for best results – until everything is well combined. Cover with a towel and set aside for 20 minutes.
  2. When you set the mixture to rest, preheat the oven at 350 F
  3. Either spray/coat a baking sheet with oil, very lightly, or use a non-stick one. Alternatively, use parchment paper to line the baking sheet.
  4. Use a spoon to take dollops of the mixture and place on the sheet, pressing the top to slightly flatten each cookie. Bake for approx. 20 minutes (or less) until the cookies are brown around the edges. Cool for 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a plate and enjoy!

 

If you can resist not eating them in one siting, these cookies can be stored in a container and refrigerated for up to a week.