These cookies are everything I’m looking for in the afternoon around 3 or 4:00. Just a little mildly-sweet snack to enjoy with a cup of hot coffee or freshly made tea to get me over the hump until dinnertime, and without sacrificing any of my important principles.
I came up with these after the holidays when I was in the mood for a little treat with no added sugar. It’s version 2.0 of my Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bites – this time simply with a dash of coconut, and without any chocolate chips. But amazingly, those little touches change everything about these cookies.
Because these cookies are are high in fiber, and sweetened only with fruit, they make you feel good, inside and out. And these are great to share with friends of every dietary persuasion, because these also happen to be sugar-free, flour-free, oil-free, and gluten-free.
The oats add a chewy bite, the pecans add crunch, and the bananas and dried fruit balance a bit of sweet and tangy that make these practically addictive.
Hope you like them too! xo
BANANA AND APRICOT OATMEAL COOKIES (fruit-sweetened)
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup pitted dates, chopped
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 tablespoons raw pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add applesauce and vanilla. To the banana mixture, add oats, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, and baking powder. Combine well. Stir in dates, apricots, pecans, and coconut.
On parchment-paper lined baking sheet, drop rounded tablespoons of the batter. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 14 or 15 minutes, or until golden and almost firm to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to rest on a cooling rack briefly before serving.
Copyright © Vicki Brett-Gach | Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen