Think sweet and fudge-like, chocolatey and nutty, delicious and not too rich. These cookies are yum, perhaps a wee little addictive.
Having a batch of wholesome cookies, stored in your pantry or in the freezer (ready for you to grab at any time), makes delicious snacking easy. Of course there are many wonderful snacks that don’t require baking or preparation, however for something different and comforting it’s nice to bake and stock up on homemade goodies when time persists.
These bites of goodness are scrumptious, very easy to make and especially nourishing – a wonderful nutritious snack for those who love sweet peanut butter chocolatey things. Providing energy, protein and many important nutrients including calcium, these are great for any stage of pregnancy, as well as before and after pregnancy. Un-hulled tahini is a wonderful source of calcium so if you’re not regularly including dairy or non-dairy calcium enriched foods adding more tahini to your life will help to boost your calcium intake. Calcium, according to research, is a mineral that many Australian women struggle to obtain adequate amounts of, and during preconception, pregnancy and also during one’s postpartum period calcium is extremely important – for both mother and baby.
In addition to calcium, these cookies provide many other nutrients. Peanut butter and almond meal are full of energy, protein, fibre and beneficial fats. Almond meal creates that moreish fudge-y texture however flour also works well. Maple syrup and banana provide a lovely subtle sweetness. And, if you don’t have maple syrup I’d suggest honey or sugar.
A very easy recipe. And, a great one for kids – yummy fuel for their non-stop growing little bodies and minds. Being high in fibre these cookies help to keep a child’s digestion healthy too.
Preparation time: 10-15mins
Cooking time: 10-11mins
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup tahini (or instead of tahini, add more peanut butter or almond butter, so use 3/4 cup of nut butter instead – this just as delicious as using tahini)
- 3 Tbsp. maple syrup (or honey or sugar.. coconut sugar is lovely in these)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or coconut oil, melted)
- 2 Tbsp. cacao (or cocoa powder)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup almond meal or flour (or use a combination of almond meal and hazelnut meal – this is yum!)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Variations:
- Try adding a handful of Goji berries or frozen raspberries, for little bursts of fresh sweetness.
- For even more decadent cookies, try adding roughly chopped dark chocolate bits – so good.
- For a coconut flavour touch try adding coconut flakes or strips
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 Degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all wet ingredients – peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, olive oil and mashed banana. Mix until well combined.
- Then add almond meal (or flour) and baking soda, and stir until all is combined. The batter should be sticky and thick.
- Using a dessert or table spoon (and your hands) create balls of mixture which resemble bliss balls, and place on the baking paper. This amount should make 18-20 nice medium sized balls. Then with a fork, gently press and slightly flatten each ball, sliding the fork off to the side (after flattening) to create a stripe pattern.
- Bake for 10-11mins, these cookies should not need any longer than 11mins as any longer can dry them out. Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container. These cookies keep well for 3-4days, and also freeze extremely well. They hold their texture and moisture perfectly when allowed to defrost at room temperature.
Gestational Diabetes –
These are a tasty, nutritious and very suitable snack for women with GDM. If following this recipe and making 18 cookies, 1 cookie in between meals makes a suitable snack. If unsure however and wanting personalised guidance I would suggest you chat with your Dietitian or feel free to reach out to me via email or social media.
Lara x
