Granookies

Okay, really weird name, I know. You can laugh all you want. My husband and I came up with it late last night as we were eating the granookies for a late-night snack.

Basically a granookie is half chewy granola bar, half cookie. Make sense now? The granookie was spawned after I began making a cookie recipe I had found, realized I didn't have half the right ingredients, and so created something unique and definitely yummy.

The nice thing about these is, they're very adaptable (that's starting to become a theme for me, I think  . . . . what can I say? I like versatility in cooking!). You could totally add a little of this and leave out a little of that and have your own unique granookie.

I just like saying that word. Granookie. Granookie, granookie, granookie.

Ahem. Moving on . . . .

Another nice feature about these? They're completely gluten free! That's right, 100% no gluten. That means they're healthy. Very healthy. Packed full of protein, fiber, and  . . . yumminess! What's not to love?

Disclaimer: because they are so healthy, they are not super sweet . . . there's no added sugar. If you like things a little sweeter, try adding 1/2 cup or so of some honey or raw sugar. That should help make them even more delicious. Since I was making these as a snack, we wanted them to be a little healthier, so I left the sweetener out. Again, totally adaptable to what you'd like. :)

Okay, okay, enough about granookies! Here's the recipe:

Granookies

Makes about 2 dozen

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or plain applesauce

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda 

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

3 cups oats

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped dates 

Mix the bananas and yogurt in a stand up blender for a minute or two, until well combined. Next add the peanut butter, again until just combined. Add in the egg, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves, and blend well. Then add one at a time the oats, chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins, and dates, each mixing in until just combined. 

Scoop out rounded spoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until they are started to golden on top. Let cool, and enjoy. 

(I kept mine in the fridge so they would last longer, not that that helped, since we ate them so quickly! They are probably perfectly fine left out too)

6 Ingredient Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

So my mom is on a Gluten-free diet for her health. Bummer. Sure doesn't sound like fun to me, but then  . . . I am a carbaholic. Anything involving bread, dough, chocolate . . . . I'm addicted . . . .

Anyway, confessions aside, I've been trying to find some recipes that she can eat. But of course, I have to try them out first, right? And if you're like me, a lot of gluten-free recipes are scary. Half of the ingredients, I have never heard of! So, simple and familiar has been my goal.

I found a recipe on this blog. Hers was a 5 ingredient recipe, and I just had to add one more to the mix . . . oats. I love chunky, hearty cookies, and oats seem to fill the bill pretty well when it comes to expanding your cookie dough.

Today was the perfect day for the "experiment." I mean, how many afternoons do I have the baby sleeping peacefully in her bouncy seat, the dishes done and the kitchen clean, dinner in the crockpot?, and me with practially nothing to do but have fun in the kitchen? Not many, lately. So I launched into the recipe.

(Here's a picture of Molly peacefully sleeping. And I didn't even tell her to!)

Anyway, here are the 6 ingredients. Drum roll please . . . .

6 Ingredient Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Makes about 1 dozen) 

1 cup of Creamy Peanut Butter

1 cup of firmly packed Brown Sugar

1 large Egg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup Oats (I only had Quick Cooking, but Whole would work too)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently mix all the ingredients together.

 Form small 1 1/2 inch balls and flatten. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for about 9 minutes. Let cookies cool at least 5 minutes before removing them. 

The last step is always my favorite. Get a big glass of milk (hopefully you're not lactose-free too!), and try them out! 

They turned out to be delicious. A little bit crumbly, but as they cool they firm up a bit more. And with no butter or flour, they are a quick, easy cookie to make . . . which is probably not a good thing in my case. :) 

All right. Success! Time to give mom my recipe!