Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I don't know about you, but I have a sweet tooth. More like sweet teeth. Sweets are my biggest downfall...that and a bag of Kettle Brand Potato Chips.  At 9:00 p.m. I get the craving for some cold, creamy ice cream or some sweet, melty chocolate and the mental battle ensues.

Oh that sounds good....No....but just a little bit won't hurt....drink some water stupid....but water doesn't taste the same....you'll hate yourself in the morning....but....

Before last year, the sweet tooth almost always won. I mean, come on, how can you say no to mint chip ice cream?? Isn't that why being a grown-up is worth it? I can eat ice cream WHENEVER I WANT. 

Now I am able to fight a little harder when the cravings come...and they still come. I've accepted that they will always come back. Maybe not as bad as before or as often, but there will always be a time when I have to "Just Say No". Hi, my name is Evie, and I'm a sugar addict. 

Enter the cookies. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It didn't have a link to a website, so I have no clue who to give credit for these. 

The first time I made these was on Valentine's Day. It wasn't a sugar craving that caused me to make them...it was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed and seeing all the crafty, cute things other moms did for their kids on Valentine's Day. Not only did I forget to find a box for Olivia to decorate for her school party until the day before (causing a major meltdown and me coloring the box for her after bedtime) but I didn't make, bake, or buy anything for my kids. *gasp* My only defense is that my anniversary is one week before Valentine's Day, so my husband and I typically don't celebrate it. I know...that's no excuse. 

So there I am Facebook scrolling and realizing that I don't have any cute baggies with homemade valentine's or melted crayon hearts (Hi Megan!) or red heart shaped pancakes and the guilt floods in.  

Crap. I suppose I should try and whip something up. After all, I wouldn't want to look like a bad mom, right?!

I remembered this cookie recipe so I decided to make these. I didn't have raisins or even chocolate chips, but I did find a bag of Andes mints baking chips in the freezer leftover from Christmas....that'll work. Then being the ultra-creative, awesome mom that I am (not) I added red food coloring and shaped the cookies like hearts. 

I've had a few compliments from people about my honesty on this blog...well here's honest for ya: They were kind of gross. This is one instance where my tweaking and making-do did not work out for me. The mint chocolate did not mix well with the banana and applesauce and frankly, the pink color just wasn't appetizing. They were just weird. 

So this time I made the cookies exactly as the recipe instructed...and they turned out much better!

First you need:

Then you:

Next you:

Spoon onto cookie sheets and:

And you're done! Grab a glass of cold milk and enjoy!

Here's the recipe.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 3 mashed ripe bananas
• 2 cups oats
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla flavored)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until fully blended. The mixture will be sticky and very wet. Place about a spoonful per cookie on a cookie sheet. Since these cookies have no flour and they don't expand, they will stay in whatever shape you put them. I mashed them down a bit so they weren't too thick.

Bake 15-20 minutes. Let them cool completely before placing them in a container. 

Makes about 2 dozen 2 in. cookies.

According to Myfitnesspal it's about 50 calories per cookie. Score!

Perfect afternoon snack.