Recipe: Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies are delicious and they can be healthy too! Forget about the processed high sugar cookies and tuck into these wholesome goodies instead. All of the ingredients used in these cookies have their own health benefits:

• Oats contain a type of fibre, beta-glucan, which helps to lower cholesterol and controls blood sugar levels. By lowering cholesterol the risk of heart disease is reduced. 
• Bananas are a rich source of potassium which lowers blood pressure and they also have a low GI maintaining stable blood sugar levels. 
• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) is full of antioxidants, like polyphenols and flavonols, that improves blood flow and insulin sensitivity. 
• Walnuts are very high in the omega-3 alpha linoleic acid which lowers cholesterol and improves cardiovascular health. Walnuts also contain anti-inflammatory phytonutrients which can help protect against certain cancers. 
• Cinnamon is a spice derived from the bark of the cinnamon tree. It contains essential oils such as cinnamaldehyde which helps to prevent blood clots. 

These oatmeal cookies are super easy to make with only two base ingredients and you could add mix-ins to your liking. For this recipe I would add no more than half a cup of extra mix-ins otherwise the cookies may not hold together. Hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do :)

Banana Oatmeal Cookies (Makes 8)
Ingredients 

• 1 cup blended oats 
• 2 ripe bananas 
• 1/4 cup 85% dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. 

Mash bananas with the blended oats until is all combined into a nice dough. 

Thoroughly mix in the dark chocolate, walnuts and cinnamon so that everything is evenly mixed in. 

Put spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a lined baking tray and shape into round disks.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Allow to cool before serving. 

Look at that deliciously melty chocolate!