These cookies are my toddler’s FAVORITE.
I own a bakery and she will choose these cookies over my bakery cookies any day. In fact, she will only take a bakery cookie after she has first confirmed that no banana cookies are available. When I was on the GD diet while pregnant, I made these cookies with oats, cinnamon and banana for a lower carb treat. But now that that’s no longer a need, I far prefer the flavor of the granola plus banana version (as does the kiddo). Mixing in shredded coconut and/or dried fruit is also a win. You can adjust this recipe a myriad of ways, however I have discovered that whatever batch size I make is exactly the amount that M considers 1 serving.
To make Banana Cookies with toddler:
1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Turn oven light on at the insistence of toddler. Then off again. Then back on.
2) Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil. Offer toddler a piece of parchment paper or foil to play with. Wait several minutes for them to shake their head, “No.”
2) Unpeel banana. Hand toddler another banana to unpeel themselves. Have the error of your ways in not letting your toddler unpeel their banana first screechingly pointed out to you. Hand toddler both bananas and fetch backup banana from toddler emergency kit.
3) Break up banana into small bowl. Let toddler mash banana into chunky mush.
4) Clean up banana from toddler’s face, your pants, the floor, the fridge and the couch.
5) Retrieve toddler’s half eaten banana scraps to add to banana mash.
6) Mix in approximately 1 cup of granola or 1 cup rolled oats plus 1/2 tsp cinnamon – varied based on size of banana and amount of banana that did not get smooshed into dog’s fur. Aim for more granola/oats than banana mash.
7) Offer very excited and insistent toddler a spoonful of mash. Wait while they stare at you and contemplate the meaning of the spoon and it’s place in the universe. Deftly avoid toddler’s attempt to bat the spoon onto the ground only to get mash onto your clothing.
8) Change shirt
9) Scoop mash onto prepared pan in 1 – 1 1/2 inch rounds.
10) Explain to toddler that cookies are not ready yet. Be present for them and the big feelings that result from this devastating news.
11) Kindly tell toddler to stand “over there” while opening the oven. Get upset that they’re coming close to the oven, then feel guilty when they just wanted to plant a huge wet kiss on your chin. Then actually get your toddler to stay back while you put cookie tray in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through (or whenever you can distract toddler long enough to open the oven again) or until the banana is starting to turn golden.
12) Let cookies cool or at least don’t burn your fingers while you try to get one (or three) into the freezer for a faster cool down.
13) Store any remaining cookies in a strategic fridge location.
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