Happy Baking Mishaps: Almond Butter-Banana Cookies

I'm so thankful for Pinterest and the vast amounts of gluten/dairy free recipes, especially healthy "cookies" that I can grab and go before my blood sugar gets too low to stay one step ahead of the kids. One of my favorite recipes so far is the Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies by Cupcakes OMG!. As I looked at the recipe, I realized that I had only around 3/4 of almond butter instead of the 1 cup that was required. That was the first in the list of baking mishaps.

Thankfully, my style of cooking and (sometimes unsuccessfully) style of baking is very much improv and substitute based, influenced largely by my mother's cooking style. With a family of six whose schedules took them in all different directions, running to the store for the one missing ingredient was generally not practical. That's when the substituting skills came in.

To sum up: to make up for the lack of almond butter, I added a very ripe banana. I also didn't have any aluminum foil, parchment or wax paper to line the cookie pan. I did, however, have coconut oil! After all the other ingredients were mixed in and the cookies were spread on the coconut-oiled cookie sheet, I realized I had left out the honey. No need for panic! I figured the the sweetness of the banana would make up some of the sweetness, so I would just have to wait until the cookies came out to see how they tasted.

Makes 8 medium sized cookies. Obviously one was sacrificed for the greater good. 

They turned out great! More cake-like, less oily and crumbly than the cookies without the banana. They didn't require a lengthy "setting" time on the cookie sheet either.  As to the taste, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not always in the mood for really sweet foods, especially for snacks, and always prefer the lessening the amount of added sugar. The chocolate chips add a bit more sweetness, making it perfect for me, almost like a lightly sweetened biscuit.

Almond Butter-Banana Cookies

Adapted from Cupcakes OMG!

• 3/4 cup raw almond butter
• 1 very ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup dairy-free chips (or to taste--I get the Trader Joe's brand)
• Approximately 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil (or foil to line cookie sheet)
• If you prefer a sweeter cookie, add 1/4 cup raw honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mash the ripened banana. Stir in the remaining ingredients. On a coconut-oiled or lined cookie sheet, scoop out batter to make around 8 medium sized cookies. Bake around 7-8 minutes (oven temperatures may vary). 

Delicious! I think I will continue to experiment with flavor combinations. Maybe add organic, juice-sweetened fruit spread instead of the chocolate chips. Maybe mix peanut butter and almond butter. Coconut flakes? Cinnamon? Lots of different possibilities! I would say it was a successful series of baking mishaps.