Recipe: Paleo Chocolate Banana Cookies (tree nut & egg free)
Many of my readers ask me for baked treats made with no nuts or no eggs. These paleo cookies are exactly that. Using coconut flour and arrowroot as well as banana and cream as my moist ingredients means that the texture of these cookies are not exactly like your traditional ones but they come pretty damn close and they taste good.
Cook’s notes: Most traditional cookies can be done after baking for 10-15 minutes but my version takes a little longer because essentially we’re kind of drying them out as we’re cooking in the oven. They will be a little crunchy soon after baking but will end up a little softer and moist as you keep them for a few days. When you can’t have normal cookies because of certain ingredients, it’s a small compromise in my eyes. I hope you like them and if you do something differently that improves them, please let us know in the comments.
Coconut is not a tree nut and is normally safe for kids but if you suspect that coconut flour might cause an allergic reaction, then avoid and try replacing the flour with extra tapioca flour, or try to add some buckwheat or quinoa flour of those are ok.
Ingredients
- 1 small banana, diced
- 2 tbsp coconut cream, use the thick part from the top of the can
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or essence
- 1 tsp rice malt syrup or raw honey
- 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder or tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to to 175 °C/347 °F.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a thick batter.
- Place teaspoon-full dollops of batter on a baking sheet lined oven tray. Wet your fingers slightly and flatten them into pancakes. Bake for 15 minutes at 175 °C/147 °F. Then bring the temp down to 155-160 °C/310-320 °F and bake for 10 more minutes. Then turn the cookies over and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn over again and bake for 5 more minutes. This is a process of cooking and drying them out slightly. Remove and cool completely before storing. Sprinkle with a little extra cacao if you like.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 10-12 cookies
This looks fabulous. I have the ingredients so will give the a go.
Hi, I just wanted to check that it is 1Tbsp vanilla extract and 1tsp of honey? I am going to give them a go and I keep thinking I have only every put 1tsp of vanilla extract in any recipe. Just wanting to make sure I get it right. Cheers Andrea
Hi Andrea,
Yes, that’s correct. Banana is already a sweetener so I only added a teaspoon of additional sweetener but you could add a little more if you like. Vanilla is 1 tbsp of liquid essence/extract.
Irena
Just made these and OMG they are delicious! Thanks so much for the fabulous recipe, I had been missing biscuits until now 🙂
Oh that’s great to hear. I know they’re a little different so it’s good they turned out well for you.
Hi. Can you double check the Fahrenheit temperature in the first part of your cooking times? Good old Canadian stoves are allllll F. Thanks!
Well spotted! Meant to be 347 F. I’ve fixed it now.
These are so good, easy to make and a hit with my 3 yr old son! Will be perfect for when he starts kindy next year! Thanks 🙂
Just to let you know coconuts are indeed nuts. While I love this recipe I don’t think that calling them nut free is appropriate, especially for a children’s party if someone is allergic to nuts they are most commonly allergic to all nuts, including coconut, and could have a serious reaction. I only say this out of experience with my child having quite a severe reaction to ‘nut free’ cake which actually contained coconut and would hate for another parent to have to go through this with their child.
Hey Georgia, I appreciate your concern over the use of coconut. It’s true that some people can be allergic to coconut but not because it’s a nut (it’s actually a fruit). There are cases of cross contamination, which of course every parent would worry about, but products with coconuts are often labeled as nut-free, depending on which country you are in. Extra care should be taken individuals if they suspect there may be an allergic reaction to the coconut flesh itself. I’ll make a mention in the copy that people that might have allergies to coconut, should avoid it, even though it’s not a tree nut.