Banana Cookies

If a recipe has a superlative adjective in the title, I raise my eyebrows.  Calling something the "best," "last you'll ever need," "fudgiest," etc., is a matter of opinion.



Crustuli delectamentissimus sunt.

That photo couldn't be more staged if I tried (and I tried to take a neat photo for once!).



I've recently gotten into labeling all folders on my computer, boards on my Pinterest, et aliis in Latin, to force myself to remember Latin vocabulary.  I took only two semesters of Latin at Princeton and I regret not continuing with it in my--as a grad student acquaintance called it--"eclectic" course load.  (No, I don't miss being in school.)  The pages of this blog will soon be renamed, and I have plans for expanding some resources.

 

These cookies were originally chocolate chip, but the first time Ownie Mom made them, they were plain, and I made them with tonnes of chunks: oatmeal, raisins, and walnuts.  As is my complaint with any fruit-containing baked good, if there's fruit, why do you need a lot of fat and sugar?  This recipe had coconut sugar in it from the get-go (amazing), so I changed the procedure to involve a blender, since coconut sugar works best when powdered, in my experience.

I've also made more straightforward banana cookies in the past; the below cookies are more drop-cakey.

Banana Cookies

Modified from "Best Banana and Chocolate Chip Cookies" in Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food by Susan O'Brien

• 1/4 cup warm water


• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed


• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (I used a mix of coconut and organic cane sugar)


• 2 medium ripe bananas


• scant 1/2 cup vegan margarine or coconut oil, melted


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 1/4 cup sorghum flour


• 1 cup GF oat flour


• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (for high altitude)


• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt


• 1-3 cups of chunks: GF rolled oats, walnut halves, chocolate chips, raisins...

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit


2. Line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpats and set aside.


3. In a blender, blitz together water, ground flaxseed, sugar, bananas, melted margarine, and vanilla until liquid.


4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift then whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.


5. With the stand mixer running, add the liquid mixture and stir until combined.


6. Stir in the chunks until evenly distributed.


7. With a tablespoon cookie scoop, transfer dough to prepared cookie sheets. They will spread a little.


8. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cookies spring back when touched in the centre.


9. Remove from the oven and cool on the sheets for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

I am 100 percent certain the ancient Romans did not eat cookies like these.