Yup, I'm baking & photographing...again...

Again, I found myself with the cookies getting low in the freezer. I've discovered Facebook (which I have a LOVE-HATE relationship with) & Pinterest are great resource for recipes. And yeah, these recipes I found are relatively healthy. I also love, especially with Pinterest, the photos! There are some talented bakers out there who are also talented photographers. You've probably already gathered that I, too, enjoy photography and I do enjoy coupling this with baking. I love photographing food and capturing all the different textures & colours.

I made these awesome cookies called Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies, adapted from a recipe on the Watching What I Eat blog. This is a very simple recipe with the only sugars coming from a natural source: the banana, apple & dried fruit. Simple, easy but a makes a great snack.

The ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal, uncooked
• 2 ripe mashed bananas
• 1/3 cup of raisins OR a mixture of dried fruit/sunflower/pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (totally optional)
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (don't be using that fake stuff)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (but feel free to put in more, especially if you're a cinnamon fiend like I am)

Okay, now what? Be prepared for MANY pics of this process...

Turn the over to 350 degrees. Mash the banana...

Combine oats & cinnamon...

Mix the mashed banana & applesauce together. Add the vanilla & mix again. Add this mixture plus the dried fruit to the oats...

Mix until well combined. If you have a KitchenAid mixer like I do, use it. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes...

Drop spoonfuls of batter onto a cookie sheet that has parchment paper. You'll notice in the photograph, I did not use parchment paper. USE PARCHMENT PAPER! Trust me...I'll be using it next time...

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden. Voila...

These little cookies turned out awesome! They are soft & chewy. I think any dried fruit, nut or seed would work in it & don't be afraid to maybe throw some chocolate in there, too!

Want the recipe for yourself? I created a google doc of it & you can access it here.

Oh, and if you want to follow me on Pinterest, here I am!

Namaste!