Banana Oatmeal Cookies - A Mexican Flavor

From time to time I like to create new cookie recipes and sometimes this is the result of falling short of certain ingredients required by the customary recipe. Some items are easily replaced, but some items cause consternation when they are missing from the pantry!

This is true for things like traditional oatmeal cookies. Oatmeal cookies are great with either a cup of English or black walnuts added, or a cup of dark raisins, or about 3/4 cup of dried cranberries or blueberries. You can use a combination of fruits and fruits as well.

But what do you do when you run out of regular FLOUR? I had an idea that worked and you can see it in the recipe below.

As cooks became aware of lifestyle changes that can increase health and longevity, they found that applesauce could be used in place of all or part of the butter and eggs used in oatmeal cookie recipes. In fact, applesauce and apple-based fat substitutes are good in place of fats in a variety of baked goods and taste just as good, if not better, than butter. Not all recipes taste better with a butter substitute, but oatmeal cookies do, in my opinion.

One situation I've met in oatmeal cookie baking is a bitterness present many times in the combination of all-purpose flour and baking soda and/or baking powder. Having run out of flour one day, I substituted corn masa (the type of corn flour made from the combination of cooked white corn or hominy, water, and lime) for flour. Having a slightly sweeter taste, I figured it would allow me to cut down a bit on sugar, while eliminating bitterness. In places of eggs and milk, I substituted mashed ripe bananas with pleasing results. The resulting dough was very moist and could be baked in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or “baked” in a skillet on the stove top over moderate to moderately-high heat or at Gas Mark 3 on a gas range.

We found that they tasted delicious with both cooking methods and appeared a little darker in the stove top method (using a little canola oil and cooking on both sides until brown). The stove top method produced patties that resembled sausage patties, but tasted like cookies, so were double the fun – especially in a vegan recipe. The oven baked cookies tasted just as good and both were substantial in weight, flavor, and providing a moderately “full” feeling – as if you'd really eaten something. They also had no trace of bitterness. The next time I make these cookies, I'll add some black walnuts.

Makes 20 to 24 good-sized cookies when dropped by heaping teaspoonfuls. A small food scooper (like an ice cream scoop is also good.

You can make these vegan, or use butter.

Ingredients

• 3 Cups rolled oats
• 1 Cup Mexican corn masa (mine is made from cooked hominy; you can check your labels)
• 2 medium or 1.5 large bananas, spotted to indicate ripeness; peeled and well mashed, but not pureed
• 1.5 sticks of your favorite butter substitute or Promise, Heartbeat; or butter
• ½ Cup brown sugar
• 1/3 Cup white sugar
• ½ tsp each baking soda, salt, and cinnamon

Instructions

• Cream the butter substitute (Promise, Heartbeat, or your favorite) with brown and white sugars and cream together until fluffy.
• Add in mashed bananas and blend well.
• In a second bowl, combine corn masa, salt, soda, and cinnamon and mix well.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.
• Add 3 cups oats and mix well.

Cooking

• Oven Baking Method: Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until medium-golden brown. For a firmer cookie, bake 1-2 minutes longer, but watch their coloring so as not to burn them too brown. Cool on a wire rack or they will fall apart when warm. Even then, they are good crumbled over some vanilla ice cream.
• Alternative Stove Top Method: pour a little canola oil into skillet and heat it over a moderate heat. Place spoonfuls of dough into the skillet, leaving about 1 inch of room between them. Flatten the balls into patties. Fry until the underside is well browned (2 to 3 minutes) and flip to cook the second side (usually a minute or so). Remove with a spatula to a cooling rack. They willl hold together when warm, so enjoy!

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