Banana Coconut Cookies (grain-free, sugar-free, vegan)
Using mashed, ripe bananas in recipes is a really simple, nutritious way to replace sugar. I've used it before in my sugar-free, grain-free Carob Banana Bars and in these lovely Teff Pancakes. My four year old twins keep asking to cook in the kitchen, and if I don't step in right away, they take over and begin cooking on their own. Hmm, I wouldn't have any idea why that would be! Lately cookies have been on their minds.
Yesterday one of them asked if we could make cookies "with that cookie flour" and bananas. The following recipe is what transpired. "That cookie flour" is blanched almond flour. We just ordered a 25-box of it and split it with a friend. This is a good way to save some money.....buy in bulk and split orders between two or more families.
Banana Coconut Cookies
These cookies are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. They are only slightly sweet and high in protein, making them a nutritious after school snack served along side carrot and celery sticks. You can add mini chocolate chips to some of them if desired though this will add a little bit of cane sugar. You could replace the two tablespoons of maple syrup with more banana if you don't want any sweetener.
Wet Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix together using a fork.
- Form dough into ball and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Form dough into small balls (about 15) and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Flatten each cookie ball with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Cookies will be soft straight out of the oven but will firm up once completely cool.
- You can place them onto a wire rack to cool and then place the rack into your freezer for quick cooling.
Use this recipe in our Meal Planner
About the Author
Ali Segersten
Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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Comments
I have not even baked them yet and the dough tastes delicious! I cannot wait to try them.
Do you think this would work with coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Where did you get your large box of almond flour?
Almonds are seeds not nuts, so it makes sense that he would be okay with them :)
Help! I have everything for this recipe but organic almond flavoring! Never heard of it - can i make these without that?
I just made these tonight and my husband and I LOVED them! Thank you for the recipe!!
I am so excited to try these out! These look delicious and pretty healthy too!
Tried this recipe yesterday and they were a hit!
I have been looking forward to trying these cookies, and they didn't disappoint! I loved them. My cookies probably could have been taken out at 12 minutes though. They were very dark on the bottom. These are a wonderful treat for this rainy weekend!
Has anyone tried this with applesauce instead of coconut oil?
Thanks!!! I am going to do this recipe raw. Just cut the baking soda out. It sounds great! I can't wait to try it!!
One of my grandchildren who is married is vegan. Actually, both him and his wife are. I will be watching there child this weekend, which is my great grand child.
So, I think I will surprise them all this weekend and make this recipe for them.
Now, I just need to run down to whole foods and get the ingredients.
Thanks for posting this recipe!
Grandma Kat
XOXOXOXOXO
These cookies are great! I made a double batch with half blanched almond flour and half almond meal from Trader Joes. They turned out fine.
I also made a pie crust out of the dough. I just patted it down in the pie pan and baked at 350 for about 13 minutes. It turned out super! I'm going to fill it with Elana's chocolate cream pie recipe or a cherry compote from frozen cherries. Hmm...mabybe I'll do a bit of both!
This recipe is delicious. I started the Whole Life Nutrition right after Christmas and I have never felt better and happier! Great cookies and an awesome use for old bananas.
I bought bananas last week just to make these cookies. We all ate some dough before baking and got very excited for the finished product. YUM!
Kelly: our 5 year old daughter is allergic to peanuts (scratch test) and her doctor advised us to stay away from the whole lot of nuts. She was given almond butter at school by mistake and, thankfully, did not have a reaction. We've been using almonds every since. On our last visit he said he could test for individual nut reactions. Maybe yours can too?
Oh and I did use Almond Meal because until reading the comments here did not know there was a difference....might want to call that out in your recipes for us newbies. That being said taste good to me. Would be curious to use Almond flour to taste the difference.
I was a skeptic, but WOW! YUM!
Amazing, thank you! I substituted 1 cup of almond flour for 1 cup of our gluten free buckwheat granola. So chewy and absolutely delicious!
These cookies are so good! I made them with whole almonds that I threw in my food processor with more banana, no maple syrup. Then tried them with pumpkin seeds instead of almonds- delicious! And the best part is that my kids love them. Thank you for all the great recipes and info, I love your cookbook.
Ok. I know you're not a doctor, but I need advice. My son is specifically allergic to cashews and pistachios...no other nut. I have accidentally given him gluten free products that contain almonds and he has had no reaction. I asked the allergist about it and he said that if the almonds come from a good source (meaning they are not processed with other nuts) then he should be fine. It still makes me nervous, but I'm also sad that I have to keep him away from tree nuts. Any advice? Thanks. Kelly
Yes, totally, Ali. I do eat certain carbohydrates - tons of vegetables, and some fruit. Lots of people can be healthy eating grains, though I also know many people cannot, and they may not even realize it, unfortunately. There is a right diet for everyone, and mine happens to be paleo. I feel much healthier eating this way - no grains, dairy, legumes or sugar. Only quality naturally raised meat, poultry, and pork. Plenty of plants. Good fats. For me it works. I certainly do miss the occasional treat, but finding recipes like yours makes it much easier!
Christine - thanks for your comment! Avoiding a lot of sugar and sweet foods is good for anyone of course. But it is not so clear cut....eating grains and other forms of carbohydrates, like squash, fruit, yams does not necessarily lead to weight gain or health problems. If it did, then we wouldn't see healthy, fit people around the world who eat a predominately plant-based (grain/vegetable) diet.
To Pam:
Paleo diet does not encourage sugar in any form (white, brown, maple syrup, agave, etc). Bananas are quite high in fructose, so they are a fruit that I try to avoid. Eating sugars in any form, including grains (carbohydrates which are converted to glucose in our body), spikes the insulin levels, leading to a host of problems, including gaining fat.
So I try to do all my baking sugar free and grain free - hazelnut and almond flour, and coconut flour all work great! And sweetening things naturally, without sugar, is totally possible :)
These look great! I just got a 25 lb. box of almond flour in the mail, so I can't wait to try these :)
Ali, I love your recipes! A lot of them don't quite work for my family but I can always tweak them and they turn our wonderfully. My youngest daughter is very allergic to nuts and on SCD, so I substituted honey for the maple syrup and used freshly ground pumpkin seed flour for the almond flour. The cookies were fabulous! Even my 22 year old, who tends not to like "alternative" baked goods, ate a bunch.
Tracey
Any suggestions for a substitute for almond flour for those of us that are allergic?
Thank you for another sugar-free recipe!!! These look awesome and easy to make! By the way, I have used Trader Joe's Almond meal in all your recipes that call for blanched almond flour or almond meal and it works just fine! Thanks for continuing to create healthy, yummy recipes!
I am baking these over the weekend! I will have to add chocolate chips to some of the batch as an experiment!
Thanks everyone for the comments and feedback!
Blanched almond flour is different from almond meal. Almond flour is ground very finely - it is like powder. Whereas almond meal, such as Bob's Red Mill almond/meal flour is coarsely ground (even though it says finely ground). I have not tried this recipe using almond meal....it may work, don't know. If anyone tries it please leave a comment.
I buy my blanched almond flour locally from Lucy's Kitchen Shop - she has an online store and sells it nationwide - it just happens to be where we live so we pick it up (no shipping costs). If you click on the Carob Banana Bar link I have in this post you can find the links to a few places to purchase it.
Ali, from where did you order the almond flour? I too love to cook with it and am looking for a less expensive source. Thanks!
I just made these and they are so, so, SO good! Yum! Absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for making them grain-free, gum free, dairy-free and egg-free! Wow. Ali, you are so talented. God has given you are great gift! Thank you for sharing and blessing others. And that sweet photo of those little hands forming that cookie dough...how precious! As always, I so appreciate your fantastic blog. Thanks again!
Ali, where do you order your almond flour from? I too love to bake with it.
Is blanched almond flour equivalent to almond meal? Just curious as I have that but not "blanched almond flour"...I have lots of other types of flours and am wondering if they would work...hmmm
These look great!
I just pulled them out of the freezer. The verdict: perfect! I happened to be out of vanilla extract and decided to toss in a pinch of both vanilla powder and nutmeg. I highly recommend this variation. Love, love the egg-free desserts you create for us, thank you!
I was just wondering what I was going to do with this last banana on the counter!!! Perfect timing! Look forward to making these right away for my kiddo. ;) Thanks for sharing!
An almond meal recipe without eggs! Thank you!! Can't wait to try these -
Stephanie
I'm afraid I'm going to have to unsubscribe from your blog updates. I saw these when I checked my email an immediately got up and left a writing project to bake them. These are so good. The whole family agreed. Now back to work and I hope there will be no more yummy recipes hitting my mailbox soon. :)
Oh, those boys of yours are smart little cookies, Ali! Pun intended. ;-) These ingredients are the best. I love cookies made with almond flour. (I just shared some Almond Coffee Chocolate Chip ones today.) Plus, I happen to have all the other ingredients for these. Yippee! Thanks to you and your budding twin chefs!
Shirley
Looks perfect to me just the way they are. I love the combination of flavors.
I'm not very familiar with the Paleo diet. Why would maple syrup not be included? (just curious is all)
This recipe looks great! Since I'm paleo, I'll try to make it without the maple syrup. I'm sure it would be just as good. Thanks for posting this!