As I noted in my February 2019 Whole Wheat Banana Bread post, it's been a while since a banana in my house has gotten too ripe to eat. Well, that changed earlier this month when I had one banana that had gotten too ripe to eat. I thought about freezing it but these days space in my freezer is limited due to all the bell peppers, blueberries and roasted tomatoes from this year's farmers market currently occupying this space. Lacking the equipment and motivation to make a smoothie with the banana, and not wanting to just throw this in the trash/compost heap, I chose to make a banana oatmeal cookie.
As anyone who has purchased lots of bananas knows, their size varies which means the amount of banana in the recipe will vary. If you find yourself under the 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana called for the recipe, I suggest using the 1/8 cup amount of nuts/seeds and raisins/chocolate chips called for in the recipe to keep an appropriate amount of moistness.
This recipe works great with a toaster or countertop oven and a small 15-16 ounce baking dish, like a CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish.
One Banana Oat Cookie (serves 1 to 2)
1/3 cup mashed banana (this is about one banana, if you're little over 1/3 cup, that's okay)
1/3 - 1/2 cup quick cook rolled oats
1/8 - 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
1/8 - 1/4 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or shredded coconut
Non-stick cooking spray if using CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish
1) Place oven rack on middle rung.
2) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
3) If using CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish, spray dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
4) If mashed banana is less than 1/3 cup in a medium size bowl:
4a) Combine banana with 1/3 cup oats.
4b) Mix in 1/8 cup sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
4c) Mix in 1/8 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or shredded coconut.
4d) Go to step 6.
5) If mashed banana is 1/3 cup or more in a medium size bowl:
5a) Combine banana with 1/3 cup oats.
5b) Mix in 1/8 cup sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
5c) Mix in 1/8 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or shredded coconut.
5d) Go to step 6.
6) If using CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish, scoop batter from bowl into prepared baking dish. Go to step 8.
7) If using non-stick cookie sheet, scoop batter from bowl on to cookie sheet and shape into one large cookie. Go to step 8.
8) Bake for 15 minutes.
9) Remove from oven and cool 2-3 minutes.
10) Serve and store any leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.
