Banana Cookies

Two firsts today. I made my first batch (ever!) of banana cookies (and these just so happen to be gluten-free and dairy-free). And- I took my first post-fracture outside walk today, bundled up against a chilly wind, walking stick in hand, patient husband at my side.

I use the word patient for a reason. Because Babycakes, walking with me is painted turtle in the shade slow. Careful. Deliberate. No funny business. No waggling or showing off.

It ain't necessarily pretty.

But it's vertical. It's biped (if you don't count the walking stick as an appendage). And these days- in this house- vertical rocks our world.

When we circled back to the casita it was time for tea and cookies. The kitchen smelled like bananas and vanilla. I unwrapped my purple scarf, peeled off my mittens, and turned the kettle on.


Banana Cookies

As with any gluten-free recipe, the flour mix you use will influence the taste and texture of these crunchy-on-the-outside soft-in-the-middle cookies. I used a combo of several flours for the complex texture I prefer. I'll give possible substitutions for each flour, though- because we all know no one uses the exact same flour combo, right?

Combine the wet ingredients:

2 ripe and soft medium bananas, mashed into a puree
1/2 cup light olive oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons vanilla rice milk (at higher altitudes, start with 1 Tbsp)

Add:

1 cup certified gluten-free rolled oats

Mix well and set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes (to soften the oats).* If you are making these cookies pronto and not chilling the dough, I might add the cornmeal now, too, to soften.

Meanwhile...

Whisk together these dry ingredients [basically, you want 2 1/3 cups gluten-free flour]:

1 cup rice flour (brown or white rice)
1/3 cup cornmeal* (or quinoa flour- if you like the taste)
1/3 cup buckwheat flour (or brown rice, almond, or sorghum flour)
1/3 cup tapioca starch (or cornstarch, potato starch)
1/3 cup oat flour (or any rice/sorghum flour- I just like to add oat flour)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 cup organic light brown sugar
A small pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg

Options:

1/2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts, or peanuts

For eggs/egg replacer:

2 free-range organic eggs- or Ener-G Egg Replacer for 2 eggs made with vanilla rice milk

When the oats have softened in the banana mixture for ten to fifteen minutes, add the mixture into the dry mix and stir well, until a sticky cookie batter forms. Add in the nuts and the eggs/egg replacer; mix well. [I used the egg replacer and it worked fine- as you can see in the photograph.]

Chill the dough in the fridge for an hour- or more.*

*If you absolutely can't wait, Dear Heart, you can chill the dough as you preheat the oven, and/or powder your hands with confectioner's sugar to form the dough into balls- it takes a little finesse this way because it's quite sticky, but you can do it. I know you can.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Form the dough into balls and place on a non-stick cookie sheet or parchment lined baking sheet.

Note* I do not press down on the dough balls because in my experience, gluten-free cookies can melt too much and flatten during baking.

Place the baking sheet on the center rack of a preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes- depending upon the size of the dough balls- for instance, we made 24 balls which made a nice, hefty cookie; they took 20 minutes to bake. If you make 32 or 36 cookies, baking time will be shorter. But you knew that, right?

Let the cookies cool briefly on the pan; then using a thin spatula, loosen and move them to a wire rack to cool. They will get crisper as they cool.

Store in an air-tight container if they'll disappear quickly. But- better yet- wrap two cookies at a time with foil, and bag them in a freezer bag; freeze. The cookies will taste fresher this way (in my humble opinion).

Makes 24 good-size cookies.

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