Most cookies I bake are filled with sugar. The first time I made something from scratch I stared in horror as I dumped the loads of sugar in. This recipe has no sugar, which means I definitely felt less guilt as I ate too many cookies.

Nut butter and bananas are an iconic combination. I would know; I spent my childhood eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches. These cookies combine those two ingredients in a sweeter way, without any of the sugar usually found in desserts. They were easy, quick to make, and worth the time.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of mashed banana (3/4 a banana)
• 1/2 cup of almond butter
• 1/4 cup of oats (old-fashioned or quick, not instant)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
2. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl
3. Scoop the almond butter and mix it with the bananas, it should be smooth
4. Pour in the oats and fold it into the mixture
5. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt
6. Pour the dough onto the parchment paper
7. Flatten as wanted since the cookies don’t flatter
8. Bake your cookies in the oven for 9-10 minutes
9. Let cool for 10 minutes then enjoy

The cookies are much softer than I’m used to so don’t let it catch you off guard when they don’t harden. It took me about five minutes to make the dough and nine minutes to cook. Considering I normally spend hours on what I bake, this was a refreshing break. All the sweetness and none of the guilt is the best combination and I’ll enjoy eating these during spring break while trying to maintain that summer figure.