I love sweets, but really try to limit my added sugars and processed foods. My goal is usually to get my sweet fix from fresh or dried fruit, but sometimes, I want something that’s more like a real dessert.

My compromise is this recipe, which makes sweet, chewy cookies or bars, without any ingredients that aren’t healthy. Bananas hold them together, and, combined with applesauce and raisins, make them sweet as can be!

Why You Should Eat More Bananas

Bananas are packed with nutritional goodness. Here’s what’s in one banana:

• 450 mg of potassium, or about 12% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Potassium-rich foods are great for maintaining a healthy blood pressure.
• .43 mg of vitamin B6, which is 25% of the RDA.
• 10 mg of vitamin C, which is 13% of the RDA.
• 3 grams of fiber, one of which is soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease.

When they’re ripe, bananas are a natural sweetener, but are actually very low on the glycemic index, because of their fiber content. In vegan recipes, bananas can substitute for some or all of the sugar, and for eggs, because of their binding properties when cooked.

How To Choose, Ripen & Store Bananas

Bananas are often picked when they are still green. While it’s fine to select green bananas when you shop, be aware that they have not reached their full sweetness, and may take a few days to ripen.

Despite their thick outer skin, bananas are fragile, and sensitive to temperatures. They should always be stored at room temperature. Never put unripe bananas in the refrigerator, because the cold will interrupt the ripening process, and it will not resume. Refrigerated bananas may never reach their full sweetness.

To ripen bananas faster, simply put them in a paper bag. If you’re really in a rush, put an apple in with them. Applies give off ethylene gas, which speeds ripening of many fruits.

Why You Should Eat More Oatmeal

• Oatmeal is a whole grain that is minimally processed.
• Oatmeal is filled with soluble fiber, which is excellent for people trying to watch their blood sugar.
• Oatmeal is an excellent source of healthy carbohydrates.
• A serving of oatmeal each day can help lower your cholesterol by as much as 23%.
• Oatmeal is filled with antioxidants, which help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Oatmeal Apple Banana Raisin Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, the browner, the better
• 2 cups oats, not instant
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup natural applesauce, not sweetened

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a large baking sheet. Don’t skip this, or you’ll be scraping rock-hard cookies off them with a hammer and chisel.
3. Peel the bananas, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork until they form a paste.
4. Pour the oats, cinnamon and raisins over the bananas. Pour the applesauce over everything in the bowl.
5. Mix everything together until the oats are coated, and stick together in clumps.
6. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the cookie sheet. Form them into flat circles. These will not rise, flatten or spread when cooked, so what you form now is how your cookies will look after they’re baked.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. The cookies will be soft and chewy.

Tips

• Although these instructions are for 12 good sized cookies, you can easily make yours smaller, and squeeze out 18, or form them into bars.
• Want nuts in your cookies? Add 1/4 cup of walnuts or pecans.
• In a pinch, you can feel good about eating two of these for breakfast. You’re basically eating oatmeal with banana, raisins and apples that’s portable. Good for you!