Banana bread and healthy cookies

So we're a couple of weeks into things now and all we seem to do at work, even more than before, is talk FOOD! Seriously, if you could gain weight by talking food I’d be the size of my house and then some. We have an impromptu dinner thing happening tonight which could be interesting as it’s happening after work drinks.

Roast Pumpkin Feta Patties, all thanks to this week’s Who magazine which we were gawking at over lunch yesterday. We didn’t think much of their 25 Most Beautiful People 2010 but we were definitely drooling over the patties!

On Saturday morning we’re off to our first group excursion in search of Jamie-inspired things and, of course, breakfast. Fresh fruit, veg, fish, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, small goods, all at Davies Park Market West End or as I thought it was called, The West End Markets. Can’t wait!

I’ve been doing a little baking. No exciting reasons why. I had 3 overly ripe bananas and found the rest of the ingredients in the cupboard/fridge. Oh, and I was hungry. P.S - I have no idea where I got this recipe from, but obviously off the net as it’s on a very messy piece of printed A4 paper. Mega easy, can’t go wrong.

{ Banana Bread }

155g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
60g butter, softened
2 eggs
3 tbs water
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
220g (1 ¾ cups) plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease loaf tin.

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth. Beat in the eggs, water and bananas until well blended.

Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and baking powder until the mixture is just moistened. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to blend all the ingredients.

Pour into prepared tin. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour. Time will vary depending on oven and tin size. Check at 45min. Bread is done when the top is firm to touch and a golden brown colour.

Allow to cool on its side for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and let cool on a wire rack.

101 Cookbooks. We are really really in love with this blog. That’s why I wanted to whip up these delicious little delights. They are also super easy and, even better, they're healthy. Well, healthy for cookies anyway. I certainly didn’t feel guilty eating them. Though I did hand most of them over to Mum as her Easter pressie. I didn’t stray much from the recipe which I usually tend to do. I used organic coconut oil and dark chocolate drops.

{ Nikki's Healthy Cookies }

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.