Banana Chocolate ‘Softies’
Serves: 6
Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a great start to your week yesterday! I had a marvelous Monday, baking away for the boyfriend….and you of course! 
It was chilly in my house, so I figured the best way to warm up was to turn on the oven and start baking away! Three and a half hours of baking to be exact! It was great! It helped calm some of my excitement for the race this weekend. It’s starting to take over my mind! I feel ready, so it makes me want to just go out there and run it now! (I’m a very impatient person if you hadn’t noticed!)
One of the recipes I made yesterday was a second version of this cookie. I call them ‘softies’ because they have a texture like those soft, chewy (unhealthy) chocolate chip chewy cookies you can buy at the grocery store (not that I’ve ever eaten them, lol), so I am told! I will explain in the “how were they” recap below why I ended up making 2 versions. One version falls within all limits of clean eating and Tosca Reno’s # strikesugar movement this month. The other version is clean, except for those mini chocolate chips (oops!) But the boyfriend isn’t following the #strikesugar movement like I am, so it’s acceptable to make a batch for each of us because we both need 6 cookies each, right? 
Fit Ingredients
- 1/2c (45g) Nutiva Chocolate Hemp Protein Shake
- 1/4c (28g) Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Stevia, to taste
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp ACV (apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 small bananas (~170g)m mashed
- 2 1/2 tbs (35g) Nestle mini semi sweet chocolate chips, optional
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- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
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Directions
1. Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay a piece of parchment paper on your baking sheet.
3. Spray your parchment paper with non stick cooking spray.
4. In a bowl combine your dry ingredients: hemp protein powder, coconut flour, stevia and baking powder.
5. In a second bowl combine your mashed banana, eggs, vanilla and ACV. Mix well.
6. Mix your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients.
7. If adding chocolate chips, fold them in now.
8. Using a tablespoon divide your batter into 6 large cookies.
9. Using a spatula, smooth and shape cookies into desired size. (I made mine round and flattened them until the were about the diameter of my index finger)
10. Bake the cookies for ~25 minutes. (They will still feel slightly soft when you remove them, but they will set as they cool)
11. Allow to cool before eating.
Ok, so now the story behind the ’2 versions’! I know you have been waiting anxiously for this! The boyfriend had just come back from Korea and hadn’t been in a consistent workout regiment since before leaving. Because of this he was being more careful than usual about what he was eating. Last Wednesday night I decided that I wanted to make him a healthy treat since I hadn’t made him something in a few days. This was kind of a last minute decision too, btw! So I went into the kitchen and threw something together before he got home for dinner. I was telling him all about the cookies and why I made them, blah blah blah. So, before I started dinner I decided I was going to take a quick shower. Well, the boyfriend was really hungry and decided to ‘try’ the cookies while I was showering. Well, he apparently liked them because he came straight into the bathroom and told me that THESE were his new favorite snack I make! I was amazed! Then, he proceeded to eat 3 more before dinner!! Well, THAT right there told me that they were delicious! So, he asked for a second batch this weekend. But this time I decided to kick them up a notch with the mini chocolate chips since he had asked for a ‘double chocolate cookie’! The results, EVEN BETTER than the first!!
So, I warn you in advance, these cookies may not last too long after they cool! My first batch lasted 4 hours because he ate the rest of them after dinner that night!
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Nutrition: (per 1 out of 6 cookies, WITHOUT chocolate chips)
Calories: 93.9, Protein: 5.7g, Carbs: 12.7g, Fat: 3.1g (1g Saturated), Sodium: 37mg, Fiber: 5g (Net Carbs: 7.7g)
Nutrition: (per 1 out of 6 cookies, WITH chocolate chips)
Calories: 123.1, Protein: 5.7g, Carbs: 16.5g, Fat: 4.7g (3g Saturated), Sodium: 37mg, Fiber: 5g (Net Carbs: 11.5g)
**As a side note, you could absolutely make these cookies smaller! I made big ones because, well, I don’t like to feel like I don’t get more than 1 mouth full from my food! But this recipe could easily make 8 decent size cookies!
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