I’ve recently started to explore the idea of cutting refined sugar out of my family’s diet. We don’t eat a lot of sugar, but it’s still there. Frankly, my husband has already gone down this road and simply avoids sweet treats now, including the ones that I bake! Hmph!
Cleaner Eating
My first foray into this world was with a recipe that I found on Pinterest. Check out my Cleaner Eating Board here.
I chose to start this journey with Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies. This a simple recipe that uses oats instead of flour and fruit instead of refined sugar. There are actually quite a few variations of this recipe to be found. I liked this one because it used apple sauce and I have a ton of that on hand! You can see the original recipe here.
Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies
Here’s a reprint of the recipe. I followed it to the letter with no modifications.
3 ripe bananas
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Let batter stand for approximately 20 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.
Freezing Directions:
Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.
These were so simple to make. I actually made them while holding my 9 month-old son on my hip. (He refused to be put down that particular afternoon!)
The raw batter looked like this.
Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies – The Batter
The baked cookies looked pretty similar! They taste like chocolate covered bananas. Frozen, they remind me of an ice cream treat. My hubby loves them. This recipe is a keeper!
Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies
Au Naturel Essence 