Vegan Sugar-Free Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, and Banana Cookies

Vegan doesn't have to be restrictive or bland—it's just a dietary preference that can be as delicious and filling as standard diets. Free of all animal-derived products, vegan and plant-based diets are a healthy and tasty way of eating in which you can enjoy thousands of delicious recipes, including mouthwatering desserts like these yummy peanut butter cookies. Packed with fiber from oats and sweet bananas, the cookies feature peanut butter as a binder that adds a lot of healthy fats and protein. A small amount of flour makes the dough come together, while some vanilla essence, maple syrup, and a dash of optional cinnamon flavor the cookies, making your kitchen smell like a chilly morning when a bowl of steaming oatmeal is the way to go. These soft cookies are a great to-go breakfast, but also a tasty afternoon pick-me-up or a decadent dessert if served with a scoop of vanilla vegan ice cream and some vegan chocolate chips.

Oats are a delicious whole grain that is filling and packed with great nutrition. Incorporating oats in your daily menu is a cost-effective way of getting a lot of nutrition. For this recipe, you need two-and-a-half cups of oats, quick-cooking or rolled—depending on if you want the texture to be smooth or chunky choose one or the other. A cup of dry oats contains 307 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber, plus 2.9 milligrams of manganese, an essential nutrient key in connective tissue and bone health—the recommended daily intake of this nutrient is 2.3 milligrams per day.

Besides being delicious, these cookies have also added protein from the peanut butter—choose creamy or chunky according to your preference. The amount of peanut butter you need to make this recipe will bring another 19 grams of protein to the mixture. You can use salted or unsalted peanut butter, but the most important thing is to use peanut butter that is made out of just peanuts. Many peanut butter spreads have added hydrogenated oils and sugar that make them more spreadable and shelf-stable but also add a lot of unwanted fats and sugars. Choose wholesome ingredients to make healthy and filling cookies, and replace the soy milk for any plant-based beverage if there are any soy allergies. Likewise, instead of peanut butter use sunflower butter if using peanuts presents an issue. Enjoy these cookies any time of the day!