Oatmeal Cookies with No-added Sugar

If there ever was a 'healthy' cookie, this one might fit the bill...
No added sugar, just the natural sweetness of dates, raisins, and bananas. Rolled oats, flaked coconut, ground flaxseed, cashews, and defatted powdered peanut butter, add some healthy fats, protein, and fiber. 

This was an experiment really, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. But, I think they turned out pretty great for something I just threw together (that's why I had to estimate quantities in the recipe).
Makes 26 cookies.

Ingredients
1/4 cup raisin paste (about 1/4-1/3 cup packed raisins, processed into a paste/purée — another good idea might be to boil and soak the raisins to soften them, and then puree them. You could just use more dates and puree those, but raisins are cheaper!)
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup (P2B) defatted, powdered peanut butter
3/4 cup roasted, salted cashews
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 very ripe banana
1 tsp baking powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Pulse/ process banana, raisins, cinnamon, baking powder, peanut butter powder, coconut flakes, dates, until fine/smooth. Add cashews and pulse until pieces are small to medium sized.

Add mixture to a bowl and stir in oats until well mixed together.
Form 1.5" sized balls and place onto baking sheet. Flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 min until cookies are golden brown on edges. Remove cookies from pan and let cool on wire rack.  

Vanilla almond sugar cookies

These had a soft, pillowy texture and a great vanilla/almond flavor.

Given that this was my first attempt at making a gluten free cookie, and I was unfamiliar with some of the ingredients, I think these came out great!

This could be easily modified to dairy-free and vegan, if you wanted to sub-in all coconut oil for the ghee or butter, and use coconut or soy milk (or other nondairy milk).

Adapted from Bob's Red Mill recipe.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c ghee 
• 1/4 c coconut milk 
• 1 c sugar 
• 1/3 c milk 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 tbsp potato starch 
• 3/4 c white rice flour 
• 1/3 c coconut flour 
• 1/2 c finely ground almond meal 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp sliced almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream sugar, oil, and ghee.

Mix in milk and vanilla.

Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Blend all together.

Mix in almonds.

Drop rounded tbsp. sized balls of dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake 10 min. on middle rack of oven.

Cookies will still be very soft but should be lightly browned. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 min before transferring to cooling racks.