Bake news

They look good and they smell good because they are good

This won't appeal to everyone.

I don't claim that the information contained in this post is earth-shattering or mind-boggling or spine-tingling or heart-stopping or anything like that.

But it is something that for some, will be nice to know.

I speak of the recipe for a four-ingredient low-carb oatmeal cookie.

And none of the ingredients are almond flour.

It's primarily for those who make a habit of eating as low-carb as possible. And it could be helpful for those who adhere to a gluten-free diet. And for those who, like the pirate, despise almond flour but love cookies.

Even if you rarely give a thought to things like carbs and gluten, and thus have no interest in the subject, this recipe is still insanely easy, and it is truly healthy, and thus may be something you'd like to try.

Or at least, pass the information along to someone who may need it.

I saw the recipe on Instagram on a recent afternoon when I picked up my phone and checked in for about five minutes.

(Generally my limit with social media, haha.)

Brittany's Instagram reel of Ember helping to make the cookies

Within ten minutes of viewing the recipe, I was in the kitchen whipping up a batch of these.

There are four ingredients: bananas, rolled oats, peanut butter, and semisweet chocolate chips.

(I keep frozen bananas on hand for smoothies, and they work fine. Just thaw them for thirty seconds in the microwave. And this is a great way to use up overripe bananas if you happen to have some on hand.)

If you'd like, you may want to add a fifth ingredient to the original four -- craisins or raisins or shredded coconut are nice.

But no flour, no sugar, no eggs, no butter, no baking powder. Leave all of that stuff in the fridge and on the shelf.

Set your oven to three-fifty and put those four (or five) ingredients into a bowl and mix them up.

Use your cookie scoop to distribute the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

The cookies will not change shape during baking, so flatten the scooped mounds of dough with your fingers.

Bake for ten to twenty minutes, depending on the feistiness of your oven. The cookies should be browned nicely.

Remove them to a cooling rack.

And that's it. 

Four simple ingredients. Maybe five. Imagine that you see bananas.

Technically this is not a particularly low-carb treat; bananas and oats contain plenty of carbs, and so do semisweet chocolate chips, and certainly craisins and raisins and coconut are brimming with natural sugar.

But compared with regular cookies, the ingredients used to make this cookie have a relatively low glycemic index. The win-win is that they're good without spiking the blood sugar like your average homemade or store-bought cookie will do.

Now I must say, when TG tasted one of these cookies for the first time, he opined that it did not have much flavor.

In fact, he said that the only thing he tasted was banana.

(He did add, however, that he would eat some of these whenever I made them.)

But I shared this recipe with my girls, and two of them have made the cookies, and they love them. And incidentally, I can taste all four of the ingredients.

So I think they're wonderful and I've made them twice now. They're satisfying when you need just a little something.

Brittany made an Instagram reel of herself and Ember making the cookies. You can watch it above but unfortunately you can't hear the cute song. I would have posted a link but her account is private.

Oh and try not to flip out from the ought-to-be-illegal cuteness level of my granddaughter.

Maybe you've heard of these cookies already, and said nah, not for me, or maybe you've even tried them and agree with TG that they have no taste.

They're convincing when displayed on the cake stand

But I promised to share this potentially life-changing recipe with you, so that's what I've done.

Let me know if you make the cookies, and whether you like them or love them, or if the jury's still out.

And that is all for now except to say, have a great weekend.

=0=0=0=

Happy Thursday

Comments

[Ginny Hartzler]

They do look good, very easy, and healthy as well!

[Mari]

I think they look very good! Bon has something against oatmeal cookies and probably wouldn't like them..
The saddest thing though is that I can't get Brittany's instagram link to work... :( I was looking forward to seeing Ember!

[betty]

I couldn't figure out how to get the reel to open to watch Brittany and Ember. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. The cookies look interesting! I didn't realize you could freeze bananas! (Remember, I didn't get the baking gene). I might have to try them when we start using the oven again in November :)

You too have a great weekend, Jenny!

betty

[Jennifer]

@Ginny ... I think you would like them! xoxo

@Mari ... Well it's supposed to just be playing there on the page ... it does for me, no link to click on! I'm so sorry you can't see it! Bon may not like the cookies but the children may! PS I sent you the video and I hope you can watch it on your phone! xoxo

@Betty ... Oh yes I peel and freeze bananas almost as soon as I buy them, unless they're earmarked for an immediate recipe! Frozen bananas are great to have on hand. Yes please do try this recipe when it's cooler out and you use your oven. I think they're pretty great. They too can be frozen, and probably even eaten that way, haaaha! About that reel ... on my screen, in the post it just plays automatically, without clicking on anything (but no sound). I'm so sorry it doesn't work for you! I'll send it to you in an email! xoxo

[Carla TePaske]

Thank you Jenny, I always enjoy reading about and trying new recipes. I just made a Summer Squash Fritter that was SO good. I plan to do a post to share the recipe in the future.
Enjoy the weekend.
Love, Carla

[Jennifer]

@Carla ... Oh please do share that one! I'm all in when it comes to summer squash! You have a great weekend too! xoxo

[Lori]

The cookies look and sound delicious. I love oatmeal cookies so I will be trying these this week. They're healthy enough to eat one or two for breakfast. Thank you for sharing my friend!

[Mari-Nanci]

A cookie you make yourself, has to be more healthy, than store bought. And super easy, which is always a win, for me, being a very lazy cook. So they sound wonderful.

For after our hot summer though. I can't get much into the mood, for baking now.<---said by wimpy northern gal, I know. Lol

For some reason, the Insta reel didn't show but I'm sure it is delightful.

Gentle hugs,
Mari-Nanci
🌿🍃🌿🍃🌿

[Bijoux]

I’m still playing catch up on blogs after vacay! Yes, I’ve made these cookies and I think they are very good! They satisfy my sweet tooth, at least. Great idea on using frozen bananas. I always keep some in the freezer for making my ‘nice cream’ (fake ice cream whose basic ingredient is frozen bananas).

[Lori]

This recipe looks delicious. I think I'd add raisins and coconut and maybe leave out the chocolate chips. I'll be giving these a try. I'm always looking for healthyish snacks for work and I think these would be perfect.

[Donna G]

I made these last night, and they are good! They came out quite soft, as my frozen bananas were pretty watery after unthawing, next time I will use unfrozen. I especially like those I added dried apricots to, instead of chocolate chips. I have to restrict my sweet tooth, as a physical this week revealed all sorts of unwelcome news…..anyway, thanks for the recipe!

[Jeanette]

I waited to comment until I made these. They are so good!! I didn't want to pay a weeks salary for the chocolate chips so I chopped up a semi-sweet candy bar that I had and it worked fine! Rich says he likes them too but the majority of them are still sitting there so I think he was just trying to be nice! Hope you're enjoying your weekend, my friend!

[Jennifer]

@Lori ... I've made them several times now and I've found that I like them "well done" ... that is, baked to a real brown, which makes the oats slightly crispy and in my opinion is outrageously good. They're wonderful kept in the freezer and consumed partially thawed! Incredible! I hope you like! xoxo

@Mari-Nanci ... for sure more healthy because you know what's in it! And what's not. When the fall breezes blow and you can bear to turn on the oven, I hope you will make a batch of these! I think you and your beloved will both like them. And they don't take long to bake. I think the reel has to be viewed on Safari as a browser; for some reason it does not show up on Chrome. Ugh. xoxo

@Bijoux ... frozen bananas are just pure gold IMO. I feel for those -- like my daughter Stephanie -- who do not like the taste of bananas, because you can bake all sorts of things (and make ice cream) with them as the base! Just brilliant! These cookies have been a godsend for me! xoxo

@Lori ... Yes absolutely, tinker with the ingredients! My first batch had craisins and I will definitely add coconut at some time! So delicious! As a healthy snack, these can't be beat. xoxo

@Donna G ... I hear you! Bake them a little longer. I just don't keep fresh bananas on hand because they don't get eaten and I end up having to freeze them anyway. Unless we're making banana pudding, haha, which is VERY infrequent since I'll eat the whole bowl! I'm sorry you had unwelcome news and I know how much it activates the sweet tooth so prayers for you in that area! These do scratch the itch so keep trying until you get the cookie just the way you like it. I also tried a new recipe this week which is -- in the blender -- four eggs, four ounces (half a block) of cream cheese, one-half teaspoon baking powder, and one teaspoon cinnamon. Blend and pour into parchment paper muffin liners and bake at 350 for about a half hour. Serve with Maple Grove sugar-free maple syrup (Walmart) and it's like having French toast! xoxo

Jeanette ... hahahaha TG said he'd eat them too but I have noticed that he does not. More for me! I love them. The possibilities are endless! xoxo