Five Ingredient Cookies

I buy bananas every week, and usually by the end of the week Isaac and I have eaten them all. However, for some reason, last week that didn’t happen. I was left with three overripe bananas that I had no idea what to do with. I normally freeze them for smoothies, but our refrigerator is so old the bananas go bad before I’m able to use them (yes, even in the freezer). So this week I decided to make something fun with them instead of prolonging their journey to the dumpster.

I remembered reading a blog post a while ago on Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth for 3 Ingredient Magic Cookies that looked delicious, so I decided to attempt my own version. Buuut, since I was just “following my gut” and “going with the flow” I ended up with 5 ingredient cookies instead of 3… Oh well! They still turned out yummy and Isaac ate them, so that’s a win in my book.

The cookies are made with ingredients I had lying around my apartment and have no added sugar, no flour and no eggs- awesome, right? They were super easy to make and are also loaded with protein! Ever since I stumbled across the bulk protein at Sprouts, I’ve been all about adding protein powder to everything I bake. It helps me justify just a little bit more why eating 6 cookies in one sitting wasn’t really all that bad.

These cookies were actually quite tasty, to my taste buds’ delight. They were sweet from the bananas and chocolate chips, and the texture was a good balance of chewy on the inside and a little crunchy on the outside. They’re a good alternative to regular cookies if you’re trying to clean eat, and the chocolate chips can be substituted for other things like raisins, dried blueberries or even unsweetened coconut. I know this recipe will be my go-to next time I have overripe bananas… There are so many ingredient combinations I want to try!

Do you have a recipe you love using for overripe bananas? I’d love to hear about it!

Five Ingredient Cookies

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup protein powder
1 cup almond milk (as needed)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mash the bananas in a bowl then add the oats and protein powder. Mix it together and add the almond milk as needed until you reach your desired consistency (it should be wet, but not runny). Stir in the chocolate chips.
With a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop out 1 inch balls onto the cookie sheet then mash down to form the cookie. Press in the edges in if some of the oats begin crumbling off.
Bake for 7 minutes, or until the cookies begin turning brown around the edges. Let them cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Refrigerate in a sealed container up to a week.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies