Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Baking tends to get a lot of attention in the weeks leading up to the winter holidays, yet it’s often overlooked in January. Perhaps this is because the holidays are regarded as a time to celebrate and indulge, while the arrival of a new year prompts a lot of focus on healthful eating. In my mind, though, baked treats are a part of the balanced picture that constitutes a healthful diet. And it’s easy to craft baked goods with quality, wholesome ingredients.

These cookies are the best of both worlds: sweet, chewy, and studded with dark chocolate, yet also created with One Degree Sprouted Spelt Flour and Sprouted Quick Oats for fiber-rich, whole grain goodness. Banana, along with ground flax meal, replaces egg, so the cookies are easily dairy-free and vegan. They’re kid friendly, easy to prepare with everyday ingredients, and absolutely delicious. In the past year, my schedule has shifted to necessitate packed lunches every weekday. Including a few of these cookies as afternoon snacks or lunchtime desserts has brought a lot of brightness to otherwise long afternoons.

There’s no collection of baking ingredients I’d rather use and support than One Degree Organics; I love the brand’s commitment to supporting local farmers and sustainable agriculture, and its breads and cereals have been favorites in my home for years. The Sprouted Quick Oats thicken these cookies perfectly, and of course whatever’s left in the bag can be used in future wholesome breakfasts. You can substitute rolled oats if that’s what you have, though I think the texture of quick oats is better for a chewy, tender cookie.

I’ve had mixed luck with spelt flour as a baking ingredient; typically I need to use light spelt to get the tender crumb and lightness I’m looking for in muffins, cookies, and the like. The One Degree Sprouted Spelt Flour worked every bit as well as light spelt usually does, which is a happy new discovery for me. I can’t wait to try it in cakes and quickbreads.

For now, I’ll savor it in cookie form—maybe with a glass of soymilk for dunking.

Yield: 3 Dozen

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups One Degree Organics Sprouted Spelt or Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 cups One Degree Organics Sprouted Quick Oats
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 large banana
1 flax egg (3 Tbsp of warm water mixed with 1 Tbsp ground flax meal)
1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar (light or dark is fine)
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, mash the banana. Add the flax egg, sugar, oil or melted vegan butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Add these wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the chocolate chips. Mix everything until a uniform dough has formed. Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Drop the dough onto the sheet in heaping tablespoons, or by using a 1.5-inch cookie scoop. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are barely golden. When cookies are cool enough to be handled, transfer them to a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool for at least 30 minutes before enjoying!

Cookies can be frozen for up to 6 weeks. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature, or for up to one week in the fridge.

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