Healthier Baked No-Bake Cookies

I made some healthier cookies to take on our hike over the weekend.  They look like no bake cookies but they are actually baked and much better for you. I adapted a recipe I found on Pinterest that credited Everyday Health but I can't find it on their site.

These cookies only contain the natural sugar coming from the bananas and applesauce.  I chose to use natural peanut butter with no sugar, salt or anything added.  I also used cacao powder instead of cocoa powder.  Did you know that chocolate isn't sweet in it's natural form?  It only gets that sweet taste after sugar, dairy and/or other ingredients are added.  Cacao is chocolate in it's most raw form (it's called Cocoa after it has been dried, roasted and processed). Cacao gives you all of the antioxidants, nutrients and other benefits of chocolate without the calories, fat or sugar.  It has a rich chocolate flavor but is not sweet.  If you want traditionally sweet cookies, use regular cocoa powder.  I was happy with the healthier, less sweet, cookie using the cacao powder. 

Healthier Baked NoBakes

3 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 cups oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mash bananas then stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Let sit for 20 minutes then drop by teaspoonful onto uncreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

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