As registered dietitians, we half smiled and half held our breath when we asked our daughters “What’s better than a cookie?” We got our answer, and just as we suspected, it was, “Umm, well, pretty much nothing!” Thankfully, the good news is that we can happily say we agree—especially when the cookie’s simple to make, healthy, waistline-friendly and so delicious that the entire family will love it! We’re not gonna lie, we love a good dessert after dinner every now and the, but we don’t want to feel guilty about eating it or giving it to our kids.
So when we did a little experimenting and used 6 simple, healthy ingredients to whip up this baby, we couldn’t wait to share it with you! We hope you love it as much as we do!
Speedy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This tastes like an indulgent dessert—so hard to believe we didn’t add any sugar and we used all healthy ingredients. Add some Greek Yogurt and turn this “cookie” into a healthy, satiating breakfast or snack.
Serves: (1 large or 4 smaller cookies)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons raisins
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 tsp cinnamon (we often add even more as we’re big cinnamon fans)
Directions:
1. Place raisins in a small bowl with water to allow the raisins to plump.
2. If using an oven rather than microwave, preheat to 375°F.
3 . In a medium sized bowl, combine banana, almond milk, and peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly combined. Stir in cinnamon and remove raisins from water and mix them in.
4. If using microwave: For one large cookie, simply spread mixture in bowl and microwave on high for 4-1/2 minutes. If you are making four cookies you can spray a plate, 4 small bowls or 4 ramekins. (The ramekins are nice to keep the cookies contained and perfectly round.)
4. Scoop out about 2-1/2 tablespoons each, and flatten on the plate or in ramekin. Repeat for each ramekin.
5. Place the four ramekins or the one plate in microwave on high for 4 minutes. Depending on the strength of your microwave cooking time may vary. Simply use a toothpick or a fork and poke cookie the whole way through. *If wetness comes off on fork or toothpick, continue to put back in microwave in 30 second increments until cooked.
If making one big cookie, may want to place plate in fridge or freezer to help “congeal” for a minute after cooking.
*If using oven: Place 2-1/2 Tbsp of mixture on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven when cooked completely through.
Nutrition Facts: 87 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 15 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 2 g protein
