Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

A good sun light was all I needed to take a few pictures of this new recipe I was reviewing the other day. I can’t quite understand Colorado weather, and I find it difficult to predict. “Be prepared to have all seasons in one day”, someone said to me, and I did not know what to think until I had experienced that myself.

 Where are the 300 hundreds days of sun promised to all Colorado residents? I don’t know, but one thing I know for sure is that good lighting is very important when I am trying to take food photos. Natural light is my preferred choice.

I started this blog in the beginning of this year and I was not even sure that I would be able to last a month. Blogging is a big commitment, and most beginner bloggers quit after 3 months of blogging. I don’t want to be part of this statistic.

So, my motivation was simple, “work hard and reward yourself later”, not really… these are the well balanced words of my husband. Mine would be more like that “work hard and reward yourself now” or buy the lighting equipment you need so you don’t waste your time talking about the lack of light in your photos.

Travis, my husband, gives me wonderful advice. I dream, he lives in reality. I like easy and comfortable, he likes hard work. I was the spoiled Brazilian girl, he was the hard working boy delivering newspapers at the age of 8. His favorite word is learn, my favorite word is help. Delete is my favorite key on the computer, his is save.

What is this have to do with Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies? Pretty much nothing, but since last week I have been checking the Weather Channel App constantly, looking at the sky and analyzing every single cloud. I started to feel a little compulsive and didn’t like that so much.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted by The Conscious Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 3 ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Have your oven temperature ready 350° and your baking sheets with parchment paper ready for baking. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, apple sauce, and the turbinado sugar,  beat using an electric mixer until creamy.

Add the bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Gradually add the flour and baking soda.

Add to the batter the oats, and chocolate chips until incorporated.

Using two teaspoons, drop the dough onto the baking sheets.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

I had lots of cookies, about 5 to 6 dozens.

No, I didn’t buy the amazing lighting equipment that I have been checking online. Fixing my frustration wasn’t the solution. Surprisingly the sun did appear, stayed for much of the day, allowing me to finish the photos for this post.

Daniel, my youngest, happily told me he loved the scones!!! It looks like a cookie but tastes like a scone probably because it has less sweetness than the usual cookie made with regular sugar.

The turbinado sugar has larger crystals  and it’s less processed than granulated sugar. Turbinado sugar or raw sugar  also has more moisture and less calories than regular sugar. Adding ripe bananas in this recipe will help to bring even more natural sweetness to this treat.

Will I make them again? Absolutely! Chef Neff from the Conscious Cuisine is the creator of amazing recipes and a strong believer in making satisfying, tasty and healthy dishes. Thanks to his recipe we can enjoy a healthy version of  this classic.

By the end of the day I had yummy treats, and I was actually pleased with the amount of lighting for the photos. I love happy endings!

Did you ever experience frustration when working on a project? I would love to hear what happened and how it ended. Have a fantastic week!