Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake Cookies

Wow!!! Who Knew that healthy cookies could be this good and satisfying. These yummy, dense, cakey, perfect cookies are made with bananas, oats, and applesauce. They are NOT made with any margarine or oil and they only have 1/3 cup each of sugar and brown sugar. You can leave off the chocolate chips or replace them with craisins, raisins, coconut, etc. but with only 1/3 cup divided between the 3 1/2 dozen cookies, we think they are worth it. My girls and I couldn't get enough. These would be perfect as an on-the-go breakfast with a cup of soy milk and a sliced apple. However, they are so good that my girls don't care how healthy they are. My girls finished four cookies each just while I finished baking the rest of the batch. At least I can feel good about them eating these cookies.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake Cookies

2 cups instant oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 ripe mashed bananas
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup safe chocolate chips, optional

Combine the oats, flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the applesauce, bananas, and vanilla then mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper lined baking sheets 1" apart. These cookies do not spread they just puff, so you don't have to worry. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until sets and the bottoms begin to brown. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Crock Pot Rice Pudding

We love rice pudding. Making it in the crock pot is easy because the rice goes in raw. We love the pudding warm and cold. Since first making this recipe in November, we've made it at least once a month.

 

Crock Pot Rice Pudding

3 cups uncooked Minute rice
6 cups soy milk
1 cup sugar, more or less depending how sweet you want your pudding OR
           1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon or to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a sprayed crock pot. Cook low 2 1/2 hours.
* You can cut this recipe in half and it works perfectly. I like to have extra so we can have some warm the day I make it then chilled the next day.
* It's not quite as creamy and it loses a little flavor, but if you don't want to use so much soy milk (actually I ran out), you can use 3 cups water and 3 cups soy milk.