Flourless Chocolate Chip Banana Breakfast Cookies

This is a recipe that I never thought would actually hit the pages of TNN.

Why? Because it was crafted by my 5-year-old daughter. True story. Who knew I was raising a little brilliant recipe developer?

But clearly I am, because these Flourless Chocolate Chip Banana Breakfast Cookies are utterly delightful. Completely flourless and grain-free, they are surprisingly soft and cakey. Loaded with good-for-you ingredients like flax meal and nut butter, these cookies are healthy enough for breakfast…but tasty enough for dessert. Enjoy them when you will…but you will enjoy them.

In all fairness, some of the brilliance of this recipe goes to Robyn from Real Food Whole Life, as Alice and I had set out to make her One-Bowl Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies when this recipe sort of happened. 

Allow me to set the scene for you….

“Mom, lets make those banana chocolate chip cookies with chocolate again!” Alice suggested one Saturday evening.  We had made Robyn’s recipe a few weeks before and Alice had been a big time fan of her cookies.

I feel passionate about teaching my daughter how to cook for herself. It is something my own amazing mom patiently taught me how to do and I almost never turn down an oppertunity to bake with girl.

“Absolutely,” I said pulling my apron over my head, not even bothering to check to see if we had all of the ingredients….like a rookie. 

So, there Alice and I are….covered in almond butter and mashed banana.. when I realize that we don’t have any rolled oats. Or coconut oil. Two major players of the recipe in question. 

I looked at the bowl, filled with most of the ingredients for the cookies already, horrified that we would either have to waste it or make a trip to the store so close to bedtime (and when I was already in my favorite not-fit-for-public-but-cozy-as-hell sweatpants). Neither seemed like a good idea, so I was honest with my girl about the situation at hand.

“Honey, we don’t have any oatmeal. We aren’t going to be able to make the cookies that you like. But we can try and get creative and make our own kind of cookies, if you like. I just don’t know how they will turn out.”

Alice didn’t even look up from the bananas she was mashing…already liquified from her efforts.

“Let’s make an experiment. They will be yummy. I promise,” she said with confideince and conviction, still mashing away. “We can use your blender….like you always do.”

My girl knows me well.

So into the blender everything went. We pureed everything up and evaluated our batter.

“That looks like it will make pancakes, not cookies. It needs flour,” Alice said frankly, dragging her step stool over to the freezer to get our coconut flour. We added a little coconut flour at a time until the batter was the right consistency and a little extra nut butter….just for good measure. 

We scooped them onto the baking sheet, crossed our fingers as we threw them into the hot oven and snuggled on the couch with a good book while they baked. 

I’ll be honest, when the timer went off some 15 minutes later, I didn’t open the oven with a lot of hope. But what I found in the oven were beautifully puffy cookies waiting for me. After a few minutes of cooling, I snuck a cookie…dying to taste our experiment.

Alice made good on her promise. Her experimental cookies were yummy. And soft. And kind of perfection. I was pleasently surprised by our baking experiment, but so pleased at how well my daughter knows her way around the kitchen at the tender age of 5.

Clearly, I will be turning over The Natural Nurturer recipe development respondsibilties to her form here on out. I’ve taught her all that I can. 

Makes 2 dozen cookies

• 1/3 cup nut butter 
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup ground flax meal
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup high quality chocolate chips (this is the brand I used)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Combine all ingredients in the blender except chocolate chips. You may need to scrape down the sides a time or two and blend to make sure all ingredients get mixed in.
3. Let batter sit for 5 minutes while coconut flour absorbs the liquid in the batter.
4. After the batter has sat, add chocolate chips and pulse a few times to combine.
5. Using rounded tablespoons or a cookie dough scoop, portion out the batter between the two lined baking sheets.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 20 minutes before enjoying. 

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