Oatmeal Banana Bread Snacking Cookies

So, we’re one week in to summer vacation, and I’m already running out of snack ideas (how is this possible). My kids are grazers. They typically like to eat a small little breakfast and lunch, and graze in between those meals and dinner. I try my best to have healthy (ish at least) snacks, and lots of fresh fruit and veg lying around that they can just grab when they feel like it. This keeps them out of the snack cupboard (aka where bags of chips go to deflate and be forgotten), and satisfied throughout the day.

I’ve got my go-to’s already, but this summer I want to try and beef up the variety and introduce at least one new recipe each week. This first one is a favourite, and one that I’d forgotten about. It’s basically the love child of an oatmeal cookie and banana bread. I add chocolate chips (ergo “healthy-ish”), but you can easily keep it more on track by substituting raisins. Adding in some walnuts would also be incredible.

They’re soft and fluffy in the center (hello banana bread!), but it’s the oatmeal that makes them a hearty and filling snack. The edges are crisp with a bit of a caramel flavour thanks to some brown sugar.

I almost forgot the big bonus! These freeze incredibly well after they’ve been baked! Instructions for freezing are in the note section of the recipe.

Alright – go – run to the kitchen and whip a batch of these babies up, you’ll have a new family favourite in your house too!

Oatmeal Banana Bread Snacking Cookies

Yield: 6 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 3 large, ripe bananas
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups oats (quick cooking rolled)
• 1 cup chocolate chips or raisins
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF with a rack in the middle position. Line cookie sheets with mats or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, white sugar, and shortening, until light and fluffy. Beat in the bananas, eggs, and vanilla until there are no large pieces of banana left.
4. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture, just until there are no dry bits of flour left. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips or raisins, and walnuts (if using).
5. Drop heaping tablespoons of the batter onto your prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 2" between cookies for spread.
6. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove cookies to cooling racks to continue cooling.

Notes

FREEZING:

These freeze really well! Just put the cooled cookies on a baking sheet into the freezer for 1 - 2 hours until frozen solid. Then put into a zip lock bag, remove as much air as possible, and return to the freezer. Just take out the cookies as you need them, and let defrost on the counter before eating.

By freezing them on the cooking sheet before dropping into the bag you'll avoid freezer burn.

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