Healthy Cookies

I decided to make cookies instead of granola bars, which I've made in the past, for our camping trip because cookies are a lot less work. I considered making these yummy-looking ones, but I had lots of nearly-ripe bananas and went with my old standby healthy cookie, which are so ridiculously healthful that I hesitate even calling them a cookie. They come from the Rancho la Puerta cookbook and are called Amazing Cookies, but for some reason I always think of them as Treasure Cookies. This is my own variation on the recipe, which basically involves doubling it (never make a single batch of anything!), substituting maple syrup for the minimal brown sugar called for and using whole eggs instead of just whites, because I just can't see wasting half an egg (also I think attitudes toward egg yolk have evolved over the last 10-15 years). Mix up a batch and dig in!

Amazing Cookies a.k.a. Treasure Cookies

Preaheat oven to 350 and butter or oil a couple of cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, whisk together:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 c. rolled oats

3 t. cinnamon

1 t. baking soda

In the blender, whir together:

4 bananas

2 large eggs

1/4 c. maple syrup

5 t. grated orange zest

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 t. orange extract

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir in:

1 1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. chocolate chips

Blop spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake about 10-12 minutes.

Just so you know, it's a soft cookie, not at all crunchy, and pretty banana/orange-ey. About 3/5 of the members of my household love them, the other 2/5, not so much (yea--more for me!)