Hi again Inspiration Made Simple readers… It’s Shauna from The Best Blog Recipes back with a Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies recipe to share with you for the month of October!
I’m 20 weeks pregnant right now and I’ve been having some pretty strong cravings I guess you could say!  Cookies are pretty much on my mind 24/7 which is not a good thing when you’re trying to watch your weight.  But, I seriously could eat them every morning, noon, and night right now.  It’s not good my friends. Not good.
To satisfy my cravings I went in search of something yummy, on the healthier side, and easy to make.  I hate taking too much time in the kitchen.  Especially since my 20 month old is usually running around doing something he’s not supposed to while I’m baking.  I was super happy when I found these Healthier Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies that used no flour, no oil, no added sugar and no eggs!  Oh yes I think I’m in cookie heaven.  Wanna know the best part?  I don’t even feel that guilty that I added chocolate chips to the top of them.  Since they were so healthy to begin with I figured I could cheat just a little bit and add my favorite topping!

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Ingredients
1 Banana, mashed
2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie filling)
1/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
Dash of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips + a little more for the top
1/2 cup of raisins
Optional Ingredients:  Chopped Coconut, Chopped Nuts

 
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
In a medium mixing bowl add the mashed banana, pumpkin, applesauce, peanut butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, apple pie spice and ground cloves.  Mix well.  Add your quick oats, chocolate chips and raisins and stir together.  Drop by rounded tablespoons full onto your baking sheet and add a few extra raisins / chocolate chips to the tops of your cookies. 
Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the bottoms slightly brown and the cookies are a little firm to the touch.  
(keep in mind that cookies using banana are generally softer than a regular cookie)
Recipe adapted from an awesome blog called Skinny Fork!Â