Flourless Chunky Monkey Chip Cookies

I’ve already confessed my love for peanut butter and chocolate, and from my Banana Buddy Shake, you can tell I am fan of banana and peanut butter together, so why not combine all three in a  yummy cookie? These flourless cookies are SO delicious and so easy to put together – whether you are gluten free or not, these are a crowd pleaser! Although Chris enjoys his gluten-filled desserts, these cookies fool him everytime I think he actually prefers the flourless variety…and that’s saying a whole lot!

Instead of using raw banana, I opted for banana chips for extra crunch and texture, which worked out wonderfully! If you are anything like me, you can whip a batch up on the spur of a moment since they are basic ingredients you probably have on hand…minus maybe the banana chips.

I love baking cookies in mini muffin tins because the shape is uniform (why does this matter? I guess it’s my perfectionist side coming out) and you get the crunchy outside with a chewy middle…that’s my ideal cookie! I love anything mini (food, figurines, utensils, gadgets etc)  so these bite-sized treats contribute to the “cute factor” as well : ) Feel free to use a cookie sheet though if that what makes you happy!

If you aren’t a fan of peanut butter or are allergic to peanuts, you could substitute  sunflower seed butter and roasted sunflower seeds for the chopped peanuts if needed.

Flourless Chunky Monkey Chip Cookies  (adapted from this recipe on All Recipes)

Ingredients

1 cup of creamy peanut butter (I use the natural PB, just nuts and salt)*
1 cup of granulated sweetener (brown sugar, white sugar, Sucanat or coconut/palm sugar**)
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, optional (I love the sweetness)
1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
1/3 cup of honey roasted peanuts, chopped (or regular roasted or toffee peanuts would work too)
1/3 cup chocolate or carob chips or chunks
1/4 cup banana chips, crushed + 12 banana chips broken in half

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat or grease two mini muffin tins (I used the tins to create bite-size treats).
2. In a medium size bowl, add peanut butter, sweetener, egg, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla and stir to combine until forms a dough. Fold in peanuts, chocolate chips and chopped banana chips until well incorporated.
3. Form dough balls (I use a tablespoon) and place onto lined cookie sheet or into muffin cups. Add half of a banana chip into top of ball.
4. Bake for 8-11 minutes until golden brown – ovens vary so keep an eye on them – then let cool (remove from tins if using) and enjoy!

* If using unsalted nut butter, you maybe want to add 1/2 tsp of sea salt to dough, optional.
**If the palm sugar is really coarse, pulse for a few seconds in a blender to break up slightly (mine was really clumpy!).

Happy Noshing!

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