Toddler Recipe - Flourless Oatmeal Bites

Charlie is funny about his oatmeal. He usually likes it, especially if you add a little bit of brown sugar and some banana wheels, but as soon as any of it accidentally touches his skin he remembers the gross factor and refuses to eat the rest, instead shaking his hand furiously to remove the offending spot and giving us a chorus of "NONONONONOs."

I searched for a recipe that would let me cook oatmeal into another form. I didn't want to go with oatmeal cookies, because why add the extra sugar and butter and make it not as good for you? I tried making oatmeal and then baking them in a flattened ball form, but they dried out and didn't end up being very appetizing. Then I stumbled across this recipe for Flourless Oatmeal Bites at a site called Just Good Energy. I finally decided to give them a shot this weekend, after Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution made me realize that I was starting to slack off lately in the "from scratch" cooking. No more frozen waffles, even if they're made with all-natural ingredients. Well, not every day, anyway. These are much tastier, anyway.

Flourless Oatmeal Bites

This recipe uses banana and a nut butter to hold the cookies together. It's a pleasant combination and adds some protein and fruit to the final product. I used almond butter this time, but peanut butter would probably be pretty tasty, too.

2 cups rolled oats (if you don't have rolled you can use quick, but don't try steel cut or instant)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I also added nutmeg)
pinch of sea salt
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/3 cup nut butter (almond, peanut, sunflower, etc)
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins (I left these out)


If you have a KitchenAid mixer you can just throw it all in one bowl and let it rip. If you're doing it by hand, you might want to actually use your hands to make sure it's well-mixed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt in a large bowl

Mix in mashed banana

Mix in nut butter, honey, and raisins (if you want)

Drop tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet. The original instructions suggest flattening them with a spoon, but I prefer the jagged drop-biscuit look.

Bake 10-12 minutes





I tried, but failed, to crop out the evidence of my own personal taste test.