Yesterday, it happened…
While as identical twin sisters we pride ourselves in both being veggie-loving, registered dietitians and personal trainers who have an identical love for chocolate (plus a thang for sweets 😉 that we work hard to keep from getting the best of us—and from you), we also pride ourselves in having the identical prepared healthy kitchens for when our pesky sweet tooth rears its’ head.
And yesterday, a dreary Saturday, it happened—both of us felt like the sweet cravings were a bit more intense than usual –and our kitchens did not disappoint! Oh yeah! 🙂
Ever in the mood for an ooey-gooey cookie you don’t have to slave over the stove for?
Um, hello? Who isn’t?! ;)…
We recommend our clients keep a few healthy, necessary sugar-tooth busting pantry staples on-hand that can be used for many recipes. A’hem, you better believe that yours & yours 😉 truly also keeps these in our house to satisfy our sweet tooth while keeping our waistline intact.
A few staple that we recommend are:
an over-ripe banana
peanut butter
whole oats (rolled is OK)
(We also suggest chocolate chips—hidden away if you can’t control yourself around them, but a few here and there go a long way if you can!).
You may remember these loves using our staples-
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Why Peanut butter? As a pantry staple—other than it’s freakin’ delicious 🙂 , it’s got a creamy, hearty texture that helps to add to any faux high calorie dessert’s success.
From a nutrition standpoint—peanut butter’s got healthy fats (for the ‘ole ticker), lots of antioxidants (to protect your skin and your cells from damage from everyday living—i.e., pollution, stress, etc.), and a good dose of potassium for fighting high blood pressure—and for fighting bloat! Add that PB (as we call it in our land of the PB- obsessed) has protein, is rich in fiber and has heart-healthy plant phytosterols.
The one caveat—peanut butter does add up quickly in calories, so a teaspoon or two will do ya! 😉 One level tablespoon clocks in at nearly 100 calories, so do not eat it straight from the jar and do measure portions of our <3 to keep it real and to be honest with yourself about how much you’re getting.
As kids, if we heard the word “peanut butter” everyone knew you could count us in. And nowadays, our favorite indulgence is chocolate–and anything chocolate (hello Skinny Oreo Balls! ) . As you can probably imagine, simply marry our two loves and we’re in pure heaven. 🙂 Of course, we like to combine peanut butter and chocolate in healthy, lower calorie indulgences that keep our waistlines in tact. And we gotta admit, when we made this and added some oats, and overripe banana and a splash of almond milk, we were a bit beside ourselves with happiness. Healthy, ooey, gooey goodness that we mixed, mashed and microwaved! We hope you love these as much as we do.
Why a banana?
What better way to get sweet flavor but without any adding processed sugar? The OVERRIPE banana is key here. So sweet and delicious, yet no added sugar! Plus, you’ll get loads of health-promoting nutrients and bloat-busting potassium and some fiber! Bust your sweet tooth craving and beat bloat? Someone just landed in flat-belly heaven! 😉
One of the things we love about these cookies is how truly easy they are to whip up! If you liked our Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Skinny Speedy Walnut Oatmeal Cookies, Wild Blueberry Cookies and how quick and easy they are to make, then you’ll love the
Other than the fact this cookie has no added sugar and tastes insanely delish and perfectly sweet, it’s packed with wholesome goodness. As you now know, protein, nutrients and fiber are just the appetizer.
An added bonus? Unlike most sugary desserts which leave you with an energy crash when the sugar leaves, this cookies’ high quality carbohydrates from the banana and oats will give you an energy boost, while its’ fiber (from oats and peanut butter) and protein from the peanut butter will keep you from grabbing the nearest peanut butter cup before your next meal!
It’s time to Mash, Mix & Microwave!!! YAHOO!! (PS—you can bake these if you want!)
5-Ingredient Microwave Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Other than the fact this cookie has no added sugar and tastes insanely delish and perfectly sweet, it’s packed with wholesome goodness. You’ve got protein, nutrients and fiber.
Serves: 4 small cookies or 1 large cookie
Ingredients:
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1-1/2 tablespoons chocolate chips
Directions:
1. If using an oven rather than microwave, preheat to 375°F.
2. In a medium sized bowl, oats, combine banana, almond milk, and peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. If using microwave: For one large cookie, simply spread mixture in bowl and microwave on high for 4-1/2 minutes. If you are making four cookies you can spray a plate, 4 small bowls or 4 ramekins. (The ramekins are nice to keep the cookies contained and perfectly round.)
4. Scoop out about 2-1/2 tablespoons each, and flatten on the plate or in ramekin. Repeat for each ramekin.
- Place the four ramekins or the one plate in microwave on high for 4 minutes. Depending on the strength of your microwave cooking time may vary. Simply use a toothpick or a fork and poke cookie the whole way through. *If wetness comes off on fork or toothpick, continue to put back in microwave in 30 second increments until cooked.
If making one big cookie, may want to place plate in fridge or freezer to help “congeal” for a minute after cooking.
*If using oven: Place 2-1/2 Tbsp of mixture on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven when cooked completely through.
Makes 4 Cookies.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving (1 Cookie): 89 Calories, 14 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 2 g protein, 25 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
- 1 very ripe banana, mashed
- ½ Tbsp. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 3 Tbsp. rolled oats
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1-1/2 tablespoons chocolate chips
- Directions:
- If using an oven rather than microwave, preheat to 375°F.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine oats, banana, almond milk, and peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- If using microwave: For one large cookie, simply spread mixture in bowl and microwave on high for 4-1/2 minutes. If you are making four cookies you can spray a plate, 4 small bowls or 4 ramekins. (The ramekins are nice to keep the cookies contained and perfectly round.)
- Scoop out about 2-1/2 tablespoons each, and flatten on the plate or in ramekin. Repeat for each ramekin.
- Place the four ramekins or the one plate in microwave on high for 4 minutes. Depending on the strength of your microwave cooking time may vary. Simply use a toothpick or a fork and poke cookie the whole way through. *If wetness comes off on fork or toothpick, continue to put back in microwave in 30 second increments until cooked.
*If using oven: Place 2-1/2 Tbsp of mixture on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven when cooked completely through.
You forgot to add the oats in the instructions. 😉
Thank you so much Coco! We fixed it now–thanks to you! 🙂 xoxo