I personally think that adding dark chocolate chips is fine for kids. This recipe is full of whole food ingredients and needs no added sugar.
Here’s an awesome healthy treat for kids to pack in their lunch box. You can make them ahead of time and freeze for later use as snacks. This recipe is super handy, and your kids are gonna love them. I use my KitchenAid standing mixer to do everything up to spooning the dough onto the baking sheet.
I used very ripe, juicy bananas that were almost black for this recipe. It’s a great way to use overripe fruit, and they taste extra sweet compared to what we usually consider a “ripe banana” — one that’s covered with black dots. Don’t be afraid to use black, almost-rotting bananas in baking. It sounds gross, but I guarantee the result is much better and sweeter.
This recipe was adapted from the 101 Cookbook. I have modified a few ingredients to make the cookies a bit healthier. I personally think that adding dark chocolate chips is fine for kids. This recipe is full of whole food ingredients and needs no added sugar. The cookies come out crunchy, naturally sweet, handy, and nutritious!
Makes about 35 cookies
Ingredients
- 3 large VERY ripe bananas, well mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil in liquid form
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2/3 cup almond flakes
- 1/3 cup raw shredded coconut
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips
Recipe Preparation
Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick parchment paper.
Attach a paddle attachment to your standing mixer or prepare a large mixing bowl. Put all wet ingredients in, mix well, then add remaining dry ingredients. Mix for another 2 minutes until everything is just combined.
Use a tablespoon to scoop a portion of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. (If you are using chocolate chips, you might want to distribute the chips evenly on each cookie.) Keeping about an inch of space between the cookies, repeat until you have filled one tray. Put the tray in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 12-15 minutes (check at 10 minutes to see if cookies are starting to brown in order to avoid burning). Remove from oven and let them cool on a rack while you bake the remaining batches.
Let cookies cool completely before you transfer them to a container or freeze them in a Ziploc for later.
Note:
I do not recommend that you bake two trays at the same time, as the result is always better if you do it one tray at a time. This is especially true because the ingredients in these cookies don’t really change form during baking the way a traditional dough would.
To defrost, I do not recommend using a microwave, as the chocolate chips will melt. I would just remove the cookies from the freezer in advance and defrost them slowly, either at room temperature or in the fridge.
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