#LEAN14: those famous 2 ingredient cookies.

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Back in February I made 3 Ingredient Banana Bread Cookies, inspired by these famous 2 ingredient cookies. I’ve seen the super short recipe for these cookies ALL over Pinterest, so I figured it must be a good one!

I’ll be honest – I thought that these would at least be a decent healthy cookie alternative, but not necessarily the best tasting. But it turns out that they are SO delicious!

2 Ingredient Healthy Cookies

All you need is 2 ripe (mashed) bananas and 1 cup of oats. Combine well, form into cookies and bake on a greased baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

I added dark chocolate chips and shredded coconut to mine to make them a bit more sweet and hearty.

2 Ingredient Healthy Cookies

These definitely have a strong banana flavor, so if you don’t love banana these might not be for you. I love them, though, especially with the balance of flavor from the dark chocolate and coconut add-ins.

2 Ingredient Healthy Cookies

I can’t stop eating these cookies! But that’s okay because they’re like, really healthy 😉

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Have you tried these two ingredient cookies? What mix-ins would you add?

{no bake} white chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies.

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I’ll be honest – I almost didn’t post this recipe because it’s not quite perfected. There’s probably just one or two small tweaks that need to be made to make these no-bake cookies set better.

BUT…they’re so delicious that it wasn’t worth holding out on sharing!

No Bake White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

No Bake White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

yields 20-25 cookies. Gluten free*

ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups oats (quick or rolled will work)
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

directions: In a large pot boil sugar, butter, and milk for 1 minute. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats to the pot and mix well. Let mixture sit for 20-30 minutes (you’ll notice it’s pretty liquid-y and needs to set!).

Mix in the white chocolate chips, then drop 2-3 tablespoons of the cookie mixture onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper. Let cool for another 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator before eating. Store in the refrigerator.

* if using gluten-free oats

No Bake White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Although these aren’t necessarily the most beautiful of cookies, they’re really good. Like, really good.

The flavor combination of peanut butter and white chocolate, paired with the ooey gooey (almost fudge-like) consistency of these cookies makes it difficult to stop at just one. But they’re gluten free so that’s like, totally okay 😉

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Are you a fan of no-bake cookies/recipes?

#LEAN14: coconut banana chocolate chip cookies.

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Full disclosure – this is the third time I’ve posted about these cookies.

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

They’re just that good. Not to mention the old pictures were crap. But let’s go with the former.

I haven’t made these in about two years and honestly forgot about them, but they recently got all sorts of buzz on Pinterest, so I figured it was a good time to make them again. You know, to make sure they still taste good.

They do.

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

coconut banana chocolate chip cookies.

grain free, paleo*, can be made vegan**
yields 10-15 cookies

 

dry ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

wet ingredients:

  • 1 large banana, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon honey OR maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil OR canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

mix-ins:

  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • other options: nuts, coconut flakes, dried fruit

* depending on how strict you are with honey/maple syrup and chocolate
** if you use maple syrup and sub carob chips

 

directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients, except for the milk.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together. Then add the milk 1/4 cup at a time and combine (it will seem like a lot of milk, but coconut flour is very dry and needs the extra moisture). Then mix in the chocolate chips.

Form cookies (about 1-2 tablespoons of dough) and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 23-25 minutes until edges begin to turn golden brown. Immediately transfer to cooling rack, and allow cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking with coconut flour can be tricky, but I think the addition of the banana and extra milk really works with these cookies. They’re soft, chewy, and a great healthy alternative to regular chocolate chip cookies.

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Have you ever baked with coconut flour?

3 ingredient banana bread cookies.

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As soon as I got my first jar of Nikki’s Vanilla Cake Batter Coconut Butter the other day, I knew I needed to make something with it STAT. Since I just moved I don’t yet have many barely any baking ingredients, I searched for some inspiration and tried to find a way to use what I did have in stock.

This recipe was inspired by two other recipes – 3 Ingredient Vanilla Cake Batter Balls from Carrots ‘N’ Cake and 2 Ingredient Cookies from The Burlap Bag. It’s simple, healthy, and most importantly – delicious!

ingredients:

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the coconut butter for 60-90 seconds just so it gets soft and melty (make sure not to burn it). In a large bowl, mash together the banana, oats, and coconut butter (I found using my hands worked best). Form batter into 8-10 cookies, and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

I can’t believe how great these cookies are for having just three ingredients. They’re dense, chewy, and have the perfect amount of sweetness.

The cake batter flavor isn’t as strong as I thought it would be, but the combination of the vanilla flavor + banana really makes them taste like mini banana bread muffins!

This recipe can easily be doubled, and next time I’m definitely going to experiment with add-ins like coconut flakes and/or chocolate chips.

* If you don’t have Nikki’s, a regular coconut butter would work fine too. Please note I was not compensated in any way for this post.

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Have you tried any new cookie recipes lately?

#LEAN14 january jumpstart: healthy alternatives.

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With this month just about halfway through, I must say I’ve been doing a pretty good job with sticking to my January Jumpstart goals. I’m really glad I made the goals attainable, but they’re still making a huge difference.

One of the things January Jumpstart (and LEAN14 in general) has opened me up to is trying new healthy alternatives when I see them. For example, this Earth Balance Coconut Spread. It is so SO good!

It has the consistency of coconut oil but tastes more like coconut. I’ve been loving it on top of a sweet potato with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon.

I’ve also taken YOUR suggestion(s) of using TruWhip instead of Cool Whip in Easiest Ever Frozen Cookie Sandwiches. I also switched them up a bit by using Ginny Bakes Coconut Oatmeal Bliss Cookies. I’m going to be hooked on this treat for a looong time…

And of course, there’s the old favorite healthy alternatives. I’m lucky to live near a Blossom Du Jour when I want to order takeout, where I get my favorite Smokacado Wrap.

What are some healthy alternatives you use? Any new food finds? Would love more of your suggestions!

#LEAN14 january jumpstart: my go-to treat.

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Does anyone else NOT know what they did before Pinterest? The thought of having to Google recipes instead of use the tried and true world that is Pinterest is cringe-worthy to me now…

Anyway, I came across this simple “recipe” recently on Pinterest as an easy treat that can be made ahead of time, and wrapped into individual portions. I’m never going to be one to give up on dessert, but it is nice to have something that a) doesn’t have to be cooked/prepared and b) fits into my January Jumpstart goals.

This is that something.

The original recipe calls for graham crackers, but I used Enjoy Life’s Vanilla Honey Graham Cookies instead (I’m sure you could use just about any cookie, but I’d think a thin, crunchier one would work best).

It also calls for peanut butter, which I omitted to keep things as simple as possible. That would be a delicious addition, though!

All you have to do is top one cookie with a generous dollop of Cool Whip, top it with another cookie, wrap tightly in saran wrap, and throw it in the freezer. It doesn’t get much easier than that! Each sandwich rings in under 200 calories.

And what’s even better? These little sandwiches taste AMAZING. They’re the perfect amount of sweetness, and the combination of the crunchy cookie with the creamy (almost ice cream-like) filling makes for the perfect “just one is enough” dessert.

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What’s your go-to sweet treat?