Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

 Last weekend I visited Josh's parents to celebrate Josh's mother's birthday.  Ever since I was little I've loved wrapping presents.  Learning how to curl ribbon was one of the great moments of my life.  I was always in awe of the wrapping at Creative Kidstuff and think of them every time I wrap a present today.  (Check out this photo for inspiration!)  I may have gone just a little overboard with the ribbon curling on this one ... Nah!

 

Pretty much every time I go to Josh's parents' now I also bring along some little treat to share.  I know his parents are still uncomfortable with vegan food, so I figure anything I can bring to make sure there's something I can eat helps!

 

This time I was in the mood for a peanut butter oatmeal cookie, and came across this recipe which I scaled down and modified just a bit.  The cookies were a big winner - especially with Josh's dad who isn't normally big on sweets (which means it's particularly ringing endorsement!).  I'll definitely be making these a lot in the future. 

 

One of my favorite things about these cookies is that they aren't too sweet, so you don't feel sick afterwards!  I made 1/3 of the recipe and came out with 19 cookies a little bigger than a quarter.  I also nixed the chocolate chips, used creamy peanut butter, and used plain white flour rather than wheat.  I did use salt, even though it said optional.  Another tip from my experience: after spooning onto a baking sheet, press down each cookie a bit because they won't sink on their own.  The back row in the picture are the cookies I didn't press down - still tasty, just a little less attractive.