Who doesn’t like Chunky Monkey Cookies?  Filled with oats, coconut and sweetened with a touch of maple syrup, these are a great snack for school lunches or even for breakfast paired with my Energy Boosting Cacao Drink To Make You Smile.

As a follow-up to my last article, 7 Ways to Reduce Your Family’s Sugar Intake, here is a delicious, refined sugar-free cookie recipe.

These Chunky Monkey cookies came about because my girls requested oatmeal cookies.  If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know how I feel about added sugar (especially when it comes to my kids) and most classic oatmeal cookie recipes contain two cups of refined sugar.  Something I try to avoid giving to my children.

I love to come up with healthier versions of traditional or classic foods and have been doing this for years in order to deal with our families severe food allergies and intolerances.  We follow a predominately paleo/primal lifestyle and to be honest, most of the cookies I make are paleo so that I can enjoy them too!

My baking predominantly contains pure maple syrup, raw honey or dates.  Check out these other snack ideas for easy to make, healthy, snacks to fuel for school:

Simply Delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins (you can swap in any fresh or frozen fruit you like)

Vegan Coconut Macaroons

Thirst Quenching Minty Citrus Salad

These Chunky Monkey Cookies are made with oat flour so they do not fall under the paleo/primal umbrella but I used a well-sourced organic oat flour, oat flakes and I added some shredded coconut to make them rich in fiber and healthy fats.

These cookies are gluten-free, dairy free and happen to be vegan too.

These Chunky Monkey Cookies have been a huge success at our house.  Since they are homemade and refined sugar-free, I feel good about packing them in my girls’ lunches knowing that they will help to keep them fuelled for a day of learning and movement.

Unlike processed sugar, pure maple syrup is a good alternative to refined sugars, when used in moderation.  Of course, it does not possess the same degree of healthy vitamins and minerals as whole fruits and vegetables but it does have some health benefits: 

• it is a source of antioxidants, helping to fight free radical damage in the body.
• promotes skin health when applied topically in a mask, reducing skin inflammation, dry skin and blemishes.
• contains zinc (helps keep your immune system working well)  and manganese (helps with fat and carbohydrate metabolism)

If you are looking for a snack to put into your kid’s lunches this week, give these Chunky Monkey Cookies a try.

Chunky Monkey Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 cup of gluten-free rolled oats

2/3 cup gluten free oat flour

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips or organic raisins 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a food processor, add the bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.
3. Add the rolled oats, oat flour, coconut, baking soda and salt, pulse to combine.
4. Remove the blade and add in the chocolate chips.
5. Using a small ice cream scooper, place balls of mixture on parchment paper covered cookies sheets.
6. Press down with a fork to flatten.
7. Cook for 12-15 minutes.
8. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.

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