Banana Oatmeal Cookies...

I made some banana oatmeal cookies with dried blueberries yesterday morning. They are lower fat cookies with only 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 egg whites (instead of 1 egg) and ¾ cup sugar, because the blueberries are sweet themselves and one mashed ripe banana. With a tender crumb due to its soft, flaky oats, this treat was not super sweet, unlike regular oatmeal cookies or breakfast banana muffins. Give these a try, I know you will enjoy!



Banana Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups oats
1 cup dried blueberries


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and the sugars with a mixer. Beat in the egg whites and banana, then the vanilla extract. Gradually add in the flour mixture on low speed.
Stir in the oats and dried blueberries.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. You can flatten the tops a bit with moistened fingers or leave them domed shaped (which are more moist and muffin like - I did both, but the ones pictured are the non-flattened version).

Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degree F, until set and lightly browned about 10-13 minutes, if you flatten the cookies. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

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George’s notes:

• After reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again!
• Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.