I am super pumped about this cookie, because it is the real deal, and it uses Banana Flour!

It does not taste like bananas. It tastes like a legit white flour cookie, but it is a grain free, Paleo, maple sugar sweetened, gluten and dairy free cookie! It even spreads in the oven without having to press it with your palm! If you are not a recipe developer, this might not be significant to you, but trust me, it’s awesome!!!

We have had a lot of batches of this cookie version around, as I’ve been testing it repeatedly and tweaking the ingredients. This is the one!

Almond flour, coconut flour and other grain free flours are great for baking as well. But if you know me well enough, you know that my passion is writing recipes for food intolerances and those who want to eat healthier. Banana Flour isn’t something I have worked with before until now.

This cookie has dark chocolate chips, dried fruit sweetened cranberries and brain benefiting walnuts in it. For a nut free cookie, just omit the walnuts and increase the chocolate chips and cranberries equally. There is olive oil in the recipe as well….a very Italian and healthy baking ingredient! It is good in cookies! I did a 50/50 split between it and organic shortening. Shortening gives it the mouth feel you crave and helps with spreading and browning evenly.

This is the banana flour I have been using to test and make these cookies. It is GMO Free Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo and contains only 100% bananas.

Chocolate Chip, Cranberry, Walnut Cookies (Grain Free)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Ingredients:

1 Egg

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of Organic Shortening (I use Spectrum)

6 Tablespoons of Pure Maple Sugar

1/2 Cup of Banana Flour

1/2 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/8 Teaspoon of Nutmeg

1/8 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/3 Cup of Dark Chocolate Chips (I use Enjoy Life)

1/3 Cup of Dried Fruit Sweetened Cranberries

1/3 Cup of Walnuts (chopped)

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat together the olive oil, shortening and maple sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat for one minute. Sift together the banana flour, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir it with a spatula into the wet mix until it is starting to incorporate. Then, beat it with an electric hand held mixer until incorporated and creamy. If you don’t stir it in with a spatula first, the banana flour is very light and will fly everywhere.

Fold in the chocolate chips, cranberries and walnuts with a spatula.

Scoop the dough into tablespoon mounds on two parchment lined cookie sheets. You should have 14 cookies.

Bake in your preheated oven for 11 minutes, rotating the sheets half way through the baking (top to bottom and turning side to side). Cool for five minutes on the sheet, then remove to a wire rack to completely cool.

Enjoy!!!