Banana Breakfast Cookies

vegan, soy-free (potentially)

Adapted from a recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero in Vegan Cookies Invade your
Cookie Jar

Who doesn't love a comforting cookie to wake up to?! Best of all, these are nourishing enough to sustain you until lunchtime! These are quite soft, almost more like muffin tops than cookies, and they taste best when warmed in the toaster oven or microwave.

Yield: about 12 large cookies / Active time: 15 minutes / Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup (200 g) well-mashed ripe bananas (about two small bananas)
• 2 tablespoons (24 g) ground flax seeds or whole chia seeds*
• ​1/4 cup (60 g) nondairy milk
• 1/2 cup (107 g) canola oil
• 3/4 cup (255 g) maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener - I often cut this amount in half and add another banana for a healthier version)
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (96 g) whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 cups (180 g) quick-cooking or rolled oats
• 1 cup (125 g) pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (150 g) dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, or chopped pitted dates)​

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine banana, flax/chia seeds, and nondairy milk, and mix until smooth. Mix in the oil, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Sift in all-purpose flour and/or whole-wheat pastry flour, and mix to form a moist batter. Fold in the oats, nuts, and dried fruit. The dough will
   be moist yet thick and sticky.
3. Using two spoons, drop scant 1/4 cups of dough about 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Press down cookies to about a 1-inch thickness.
4. Bake the cookies for 14 to 16 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. These cookies can stay fresh for up to 2 months in an air-tight container in the freezer. To thaw, warm for a few minutes in a toaster oven at 300 degrees or for just a few seconds in the microwave.**

*Ground flax seeds, in addition to being incredibly nutritious, have the amazing ability to form a viscous gel when mixed with liquid. This makes them a good egg replacer for baking. After the seeds have been ground, the oil tends to go rancid quickly, so either grind them just before using or store ground flax in the refrigerator. Chia seeds are also nutritious and form the same gel-type texture, and you don't need to grind them first. Use whichever you prefer!

flax and chia seeds

**I like to make a double batch,  saving maybe two cookies at room temperature and freezing the rest for easy breakfasts in the weeks to come!