Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Peanut butter, banana and oatmeal VEGAN cookies

Yes, you read that right...I made something Vegan.  No, I have not gone Vegan...I must have cheese...every day.  I've just decided to try baking in some alternative ways.  I know a handful of Vegans, so I decided to start there.
I believe that people should eat foods that nurture them, but also comfort them.  You know what your body needs, you may not always give it those things, but you do know what it needs.  One of the things I like about these cookies is that they have all real ingredients.  
It makes me nervous when I see people eating things like "Chik'n nuggets"   I understand not wanting to eat animal products, but is eating chemicals and artificial ingredients any better?  My answer is no.  I think if you're going to have a special diet you should be prepared to do more cooking and eat real, whole foods.  Spend some time in the kitchen and see what you come up with.  That's exactly what I did with these cookies. Trust me, I eat some processed foods, but I have become more aware of what I am actually eating.
I found these cookies easy to make and actually quite tasty!  I used the basic elements in cookies, just leaving out the eggs and butter.
Originally I was going to make them without flour, but after tasting the dough (it's okay, no raw eggs..okay, I would have eaten it anyway) I thought it needed more substance, so I threw in just the tiniest bit of whole wheat flour.






Peanut butter, banana, and oatmeal vegan cookies
makes 2 dozen

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 or 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsp real maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl combine peanut butter, mashed bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Use a hand or stand mixer to mix ingredients until smooth.
In a separate bowl whisk together oats, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and flour.  Add to peanut butter mix and stir until just combined.  
Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.
*I wasn't exactly sure how long to bake these cookies.  I checked them at 8 minutes..not yet.  Again at 10, still not done.  12 minutes..um, are these ever going to bake?  I pulled them at 14 and they still came out slightly soft, but I didn't want to overbake.  I think about 15 minutes is just right.*


These cookies were so flavorful.  They'd be great to pack up for an on the go snack.  Or even for a quick breakfast.  I didn't have to sacrifice real foods to get a Vegan treat.  
I packed some little treat bags to share with my Vegan friends.  They all gave these cookies positive reviews.  I will make them again!  Next time I want to add chocolate chips..even more flavor!




While I love my cookies to have butter..lots of it, preferably browned.  These little treats were a good trial run.  I'm glad I tried something different, and it was surprisingly easy!  I didn't even miss the butter!  (okay, maybe a little.)



14 comments:

  1. Great job for doing a Vegan recipe! It can't hurt at all to try something totally good for you! They look great! I can never go Vegan due to my lack of self control. I, too, cannot live with a cheese...or burgers...or cheeseburgers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. yum! those look awesome, and vegan...man! i'm impressed

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks for sharing such an easy and tasty lookin vegan recipe! i'll DEFINITELY be making these soon...they have me written all over them! plus, whole wheat + oats + pb + fruit = no guilt ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that plate, I have it too! Hooray for Target :-) Cannot go wrong with peanut butter

    ReplyDelete
  5. You had me at peanut butter. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These look delish and are so healthy. WIN+WIN :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think these are too healthy to even be called cookies, great recipe! I love that flavor combination. I also love being able to have versatile recipes like this one, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like a great recipe Vegan or not! I am with you on the Chik n' nuggets, defeats the purpose!

    ReplyDelete
  9. looks yummie!
    I love peanut butter <3

    kisses,
    Klaudia B.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love how healthy these are, I'm pretty sure it means I could eat a half of the batch:-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm one of the lucky vegans that got to sample these (or rather, uncontrollably scarf about five of them within five minutes before 10am), and they were fabulous! Alex, I'm with ya on the meat substitutes - gross! But I think they have their place. They are great for people transitioning to vegetarian from a Standard American Diet. Or for hangover food. Just sayin.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I totally agree with everything you said! Your body knows what it needs and sometimes it needs butter or a filet or some turkey or big honkin glass of chocolate milk! Great cookie post!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Alex, these look awesome! I love the peanut butter and banana combination and I love that they are totally natural and vegan...even though I too, need cheese every day

    ReplyDelete