Cookies - Banana Oatmeal Raisin Sunflower Seed Spice
From All-Creatures.org Vegan - Vegetarian Recipe Book: How Mary and Frank and Friends Eat

"We are dedicated to cruelty-free living through a vegetarian - vegan lifestyle. Let no animal suffer or die that we may live!"

Ingredients

1 cup Spelt or Whole Wheat Flour
3 cups Rolled Oats (oatmeal), quick
1 cup Sunflower Seeds
2 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
2 tsp. Allspice, ground
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg, ground
1/2 tsp. Cloves, ground
3 cups Raisins
4-5 Bananas, medium size, ripe
Apple Juice or Water, as needed

(To enlarge the photo of the banana oatmeal raisin sunflower seed spice cookies, click on the photo or link)

Preparation

This delicious and healthful banana oatmeal raisin sunflower cookie recipe can be prepared and baked in less than an hour, and will make approximately 24 cookies. The recipe contain no added oil or sugar, and the cookies are totally sweetened by the raisins and bananas. They are great for dessert or a snack, and are wonderful treat to take as a snack when traveling.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C.)

Place the spelt, or whole wheat flour, and the quick rolled oats (oatmeal) in a bowl and mix together.

Add the sunflower seeds, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves and mix well. Add 2 cups of the raisins and mix well to ensure that the raisins are not sticking together, and that they are thoroughly coated with the flour mixture.

Place the peeled bananas and the remaining cup of raisins in the container of a high speed blender. Cover and run at high speed until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended and smooth.

Add the banana-raisin mixture to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly with a stiff spatula or spoon. After adding all the liquid mixture, if the cookie dough is too stiff you may add a little apple juice or water. A thinner dough will make a flatter cookie. A stiff dough will make irregular, thick cookies like the ones shown in the photo. (To test for dough stiffness, we stick a soup spoon upright into the dough. If the dough is stiff enough, the spoon will remain upright.)

Sprinkle a baking sheet with a light coating of oatmeal, place the cookie dough in 24 equal sized "mounds." (We usually start with a well rounded tablespoon full of cookie dough for each cookie, and add any leftover dough to the cookie mounds on the baking sheet.) Smooth and shape each cookie with a spoon or spatula, as desired.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes. Various ovens bake differently, so we suggest that you begin checking the cookies after 15-20 minutes of baking time. The cookies should be firm, but still soft enough to be a little "springy." Be careful not to over-bake.

When the banana coconut raisin oatmeal spice cookies are baked, remove from the oven, cool, and enjoy.

Store any leftover cookies in the refrigerator in a covered container or storage bag.

Ingredients Information

Allspice, ground

Apple Juice

Apple Juice, Unfiltered

Bananas

Cinnamon, ground

Cloves, ground

Nutmeg, ground

Oats, Rolled

Raisins, Thompson Seedless

Spelt

Sunflower Seeds

Wheat, Hard Red

Utensils and Equipment Information

Bowls, Stainless Steel Mixing

Measuring Cups, Dry

Measuring Spoons

Spoon, Large Mixing

Vita-Mix

The above recipe is in keeping with God's creation intent (Genesis 1:29-31): 'Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-- everything that has the breath of life in it-- I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.' (NIV) Let no animal suffer or die that we may live!