Banana Oatmeal Cookies (A 2-Ingredient Recipe)

2-Ingredient, 15-miniute cookie? Yes, please!

These oatmeal-y mounds are healthier than greasy store-bought cookies, and can be easily improved with any mix-in on hand. I can't take all the credit for this one: This idea originally came from here. However, I have fallen so deeply in love with these cookies, that I make them every week! All it takes is oats from the pantry and a banana from the fruit bowl. Other than that, any dried fruits, nuts, chocolate chips, marshmallows, or other cookie-friendly foodstuff can be added for a warm, sweet, satisfying snack.

This is one of those sweets whose ingredients and cool time require a lot of guesstimating and experimentation. Luckily, it's also practically full-proof. Want more filling, harder cookies? Add more oats. Want gooey, mushy cookies? Use just enough oats to make semi-stable mounds on the baking pan. Both quick oats and rolled oats work for this recipie, and either ripe or unripened bananas can be used. Just remember:  All measurements are aproximated and mainly suggestive!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Yeilds: 8-12 cookies

Ingredients:
1              Banana
1/2 cup    Oats


1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking pan with foil, and/or spray oil on pan. 

2. In a bowl, smash and stir bananas and oats together until the banana is smooth without large chunks. (Add mix-ins if desired.)

3. Drop the banana-oat mixture into mounds on the baking pan. Mounds should be stable; not loose and runny.

4. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 8-15 minutes.

Variations:

Banana Bread Cookies
Mix in 2 Tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1-2 Tbsp raisins

 Strawberry-Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Mix in 2 Tbsp strawberry preserves (or fresh mashed strawberries) 

Peanutbutter-Chocolate-Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Mix in 2 Tbsp peanutbutter and 1-2 Tbsp chocolate chips

Cranberry-Almond-Banana Oatmeal Cookies

 Mix in 3 Tbsp crushed almonds and 2 Tbsp dried cranberries