BANANA OATMEAL COOKIE

 I have come up with several ways to remember how to keep up with a recipe I make and really liked until I have time to share it, but I haven't made any of them a habit. That means I repeatedly spend too much time trying to find where I put the recipe or which cookbook I found it in. 

FYI You have to do something 30 times before it becomes a habit. You are welcome.

But back to this recipe. I spent more time than I like to waste trying to find the recipe for these delicious, healthy banana oatmeal cookies. I had vague memories of making them and having to put something heavy to hold the pages down so that meant I found it in a bound cookbook and placing an envelop to mark the page, but I didn't remember that until I had searched at least 30 minutes through my phone saves and searching through loose papers. That actually wasn't too long, I have spent a day or two searching. 

I found it when I decided to give up.  I got up and noticed a bound cookbook on a table by my glider. The light bulb came on; I saw two marked pages with envelops and there it was. What a relief!

The cookbook was a favorite's one I bought at an estate sale (where else do you buy a great cookbook?) called Carla Lawhon Heartland Baking from the Jerre Anne Cafeteria. I just love cookbooks from businesses. Most of the ones I find at estate sales no longer exist which is sad, but the recipes are always so good. The Jerre Anne Cafeteria opened in St. Joseph, MO in 1930 and closed in 2008. Wow.

I can't say "cafeteria" without recalling memories of eating at Morrison's Cafeteria with my parents in Greenville, MS when I was growing up. We lived in the extreme southeast corner of AR in the Delta in a small rural town. If we went shopping, we drove either to Greenville, MS or Monroe, LA. We always ate at the cafeteria when we went shopping or to the doctor's in Greenville.

I chose to make these Banana Oatmeal Cookies for the church's Cafe Treats because I had bananas I needed to use and because the sugar was such that I could use stevia for it. I like having something for diabetic people at church on Sundays, but that isn't always the case. I also used 2/3 cup butter because I didn't have any margarine. I did omit the raisins, also. These cookies turned out delicious and gratefully appreciated.

As always with my recipes that I make with no added sugar or less sugar, you can make them with sugar if you like. Afterall, that's the way the recipe started out.

PRINT RECIPE.

BANANA OATMEAL COOKIES

1/3      cup butter, softened

1/3      cup margarine, softened (I just used 2/3 cup of butter)

1         cup sugar

1         egg

1         cup mashed bananas (about 4 small ripe bananas)

1-1/2   cups sifted flour

1/2      teaspoon baking soda

1         teaspoon salt

3/4      teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-3/4   cups rolled oats

1/2      cups raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, margarine, and sugar.

Add the egg and

then the bananas, mixing well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

(Sift 1 1/2 cups of flour and

then measure 1-1/2 cups to use for the recipe.

Return the leftover flour in the flour jar.)

Mix in the oats and

add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Fold in the raisins, if you are using them.

Using a small scoop or a heaped teaspoon, drop the dough about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes, then remove them to a rack to cool completely.