Eggless Banana Oatmeal Chip Cookies... made with Agave! (103 Calories)

So did you guys watch it?  Monday's OPRAH?!?  OMG!  Just when you think Oprah outdid herself all these years, she sends everyone in the audience to Australia!  Why wasn't I one of the audience members?  Yesterday's Oprah just left me speechless, it was emotional with so much anticipation.  I'm so excited for all the new episodes, but I'm so sad knowing this is the last season of Oprah.  By some miracle, I'm really hoping on the last day of this season, Oprah will be like, "Okay, I have another surprise, I'm going to extend the show for one more season."  Wouldn't that make you happy?  I'd be ecstatic!  I really hoped there would come a time where I could sit at home during my maternity leave (someday) and tune into a new Oprah episode at 4 PM, but I guess that's never gonna happen now.  UHHHHH! 

I've been working from home all week to give my back a break.  I've been doing a lot of stretching and have cut down on the medication.  My back seems to be coming along which is great.  This morning I had another little dispute with my manager and I was so angry by the end of the conversation.  Well, I decided to take my anger and turn it into something positive, I was charged, charged to get the hell out of my position which led me to work on my resume.  Yes, after 3 years I FINALLY sat down and worked on my resume.  When I was done I couldn't believe how much I had accomplished in 3 years, I learned a great deal.  I was proud of myself, but at the same time I was so burnt out.  It was time for a change.  This time I'm not just targeting the boring technical computer job, I'm gonna explore jobs that involve my passion, and that is FOOD!  Let's see what I can find.  Worst case, I go to my computer job.  🙂

I was so happy after fixing my resume... I figured I deserved a little treat, something sweet... there I go again with my sweet tooth. 🙂  It took me 40 minutes to make and bake these cookies... I finished during my lunch hour.  I found the cookie recipe on a healthy blog site called Carrots 'N' Cake by Tina.  What I love is this recipe incorporates Agave and only 1 tablespoon of oil.  In addition, the cookies contain Ground Flaxseed Meal which has a pleasant nutty flavor and provides nutrition such as Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Fiber.  I bought organic flaxseeds and grinded them up to come up with ground flaxseed meal.  

These cookies are loaded with nutrition and would make a great breakfast if you love granola bars in the morning.  Low fat and delicious... you got my vote!

Tell Me: Are you unhappy with your current job?  What have you done to fix it?  I need inspiration!  🙂

NUTRITION: Bananas are a very good source of Vitamin B6.  Oats help reduce cholesterol and are a good source of Protein and Fiber.  Bittersweet Chocolate Chips used are high in Antioxidants.  Agave is a low-glycemic sweetener which does not cause a sudden rise or fall in blood sugar.  In addition, it is sweeter than regular sugar so you need less of it.  Ground Flaxseed adds Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Fiber to these cookies.  Lastly, walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. 

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• Instead of using Whole Wheat Flour, I used Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (WWPF).  WWPF provides a more tender result and contains a lower Gluten content than Whole Wheat Flour. 
• Instead of Soy Milk, I used Organic 1% Milk... I think I'm allergic to Soy.
• The recipe doesn't specify what kind of chocolate chips to use... semi-sweet or bittersweet, I went ahead and used the latter, more antioxidants.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 19 cookies)

• Calories: 103 cals
• Fat: 5.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
• Carbs: 13 g
• Protein: 1.8 g
• Fiber: 1.5 g

EGGLESS BANANA OATMEAL CHIP COOKIES (adapted by Carrots 'N' Cake)
~ yields 19 cookies @ 350 degrees using a sheet tray
~ fat & calories are already reduced in this recipe.  You can choose to make even smaller cookies which will reduce the fat & calories in this recipe.  This recipe provides loads of nutrition in each cookie.

INGREDIENTS:

• Bob Mill's Whole Wheat Pastry Flour - ½ cup
• Quaker Oats - 1 cup
• Baking Powder - ½ tsp
• Baking Soda - ½ tsp
• Cinnamon - ¼ tsp
• Ground Flaxseed Meal - 1 tablespoon (I used Arrowhead Mills Organic Flaxseeds& grinded it up)
• Agave Nectar - ¼ cup (I used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave)
• Milk 1% - ¼ cup
• Vanilla Extract - ½ tsp
• Canola Oil - 1 tbsp
• Banana - 1 ripe (medium)
• Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips - ½ cup
• Walnuts - ¼ cup

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease/Spray a large baking tray to prevent the cookies from sticking.  You can use parchment paper if you like.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl... I did this in order.  
4. Mix the batter until combined, however DO NOT OVERMIX.

5. Use a tablespoon to measure each cookie and place them on the baking tray.  Space each cookie about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  I baked mine for 12 minutes exactly... do not over bake.
7. Allow the cookies to cool.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 / 5

Just glancing over the ingredients in this recipe, aside from the chocolate chips, the ingredients don't scream dessert.  Having said that, you will be pleasantly surprised by the end result because these figure friendly cookies are really good considering how low in fat they are.  My husband really enjoyed them and ate about 5 of them in a row.  I gave these a 3.5 because I thought there were way too many chocolate chips in some cookies.  Going forward, I would make these with a ¼ cup of chocolate chips and ½ cup of walnuts... I'm a more walnut type of gal.  The choices here are endless.  I would totally re-use this recipe in making Oatmeal Raisin cookies, or even Peanut Butter Walnut cookies.      
Texture: These cookies were chewy, soft, and cake-like.  They aren't your typical crunchy cookies, but I still loved them.  
Moistness: These cookies were really moist and stayed moist throughout the day.  I had my cup of tea after dinner and ate 2 cookies.  The cookies were moist 8 hours later.  

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