Ooey Gooey Protein Cookie: 75 calories each

Fridays are a weird day for me because my schedule is different than the rest of the week. Instead of working early mornings, I work late afternoon and evening. Having the whole day open is a dangerous thing for me. I'm distracted, I randomly eat, and I push aside my workouts to the last minute.  I am much more productive and focused with structure in my day.  This is something I'm still working on..

Today, instead of snacking on whatever I could find in the cupboard, I decided to spend some time experimenting to make a healthy snack that could satisfy my sweet tooth and keep me full.  I've seen similar recipes posted on Pinterest and other sites, and decided to try my own variation. I call it the...

ooie gooey protein cookie
Anyone who knows me can say with confidence that cookies are my favorite food.  And I'm picky when it comes to them.  Only the soft buttery ones will do.  Best thing about these cookies.. no butter, still soft.  And NOT bread-like soft, these still have that creamy consistency I'm looking for in a cookie.

Without further ado, here's the recipe!

• 1 medium ripe banana, 100 calories
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder or meal replacement shake
  (I used Chocolate IdealShape at 120 kcal per scoop)
• 1 cup oats, 300 calories
• 1/4 cup peanut butter, 380 calories
• pinch of baking powder

Preheat oven 350°F

Mix all ingredients in food processor or with a hand mixer. Use nonstick cookie sheet, or lightly spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto cookie sheet in 12 evenly sized balls and softly press flat. Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove onto cool surface to end cooking.

I loved how these tasted! You definitely get the banana taste, but the peanut butter and oats create more of a savory flavor.  The outsides were slightly crispy and the insides were soft and gooie (hence the name). I even tried one a few hours later and the texture and taste were still great.  However, nothing beats a fresh from the oven cookie... 

The entire batter came out to 900 calories. Divided into 12 cookies makes them 75 calories each.  Next time I might try using some PB2  instead of full fat peanut butter to cut out some of the calories. I also think avocado would be a good replacement if you did not want to have the banana taste.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!