“Skinny Monkey” Cookies
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I know it’s not often you see chocolate, bananas, and peanut butter in a healthy recipe, but this lightened-up version of a “chunky monkey” is both healthy and tasty! I tend to get a sweet tooth in the afternoons at work, and these cookies have saved me from grabbing chocolate from a co-worker’s candy dish on more than one occasion. At just 47 calories per cookie, you really can’t go wrong!
**If you are looking for more recipes like this we have complete diet freezer cooking menus that contain Weight Watchers Points Plus and nutritional values as well. In addition to the diet menu we also have a host of other freezer cooking menus; including Traditional, Whole Foods, Vegetarian, Gluten Free & Dairy Free, Baby/Toddler Food and Mini Menus). We have more dessert recipes here too.
Skinny Monkey Cookies
Author/Source:
Jimmie @ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
- 3 bananas
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Dash of cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Let batter stand for approximately 20 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes.
Freezing Directions:
Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.
Nutritional Information:
47 calories; 7.5 g carbs; 1.6 g fat; 1.5 g protein; 1.3 g fiber; 1 WW PointsPlus
Servings: 30
Cookies with no sugar!!!!! Amazing!!! I can’t wait to make these for my son…he’s allergic to sugar!
Well made them exactly like the recipie called for and they were gross! No flavor! Nasty!
Hmm, sorry you feel that way, everyone’s taste is different.
i tried them as well. the whole family disliked them.
Hmm, sorry to hear that.
Love these with added small choc chips.
Daughter In-Law has me hooked on these cookies.
I realize that adds suggar.
Agree! I even rolled them in powdered sugar, and they are not edible.
I just made these with using the base-used Dannon Light and fit vanilla yogurt vs applesauce and regular cocoa. Also add just a touch of agave. I like them with the substitutes. However, the husband popped one in his mouth and then to the trash can it went. I have been trying to cut sugars, so I think it was a great start.
I agree with the bland comments did not taste good ick!
I was excited to try these cookies because they don’t have any sugar. I was Very disappointed, they are nasty.
You will need to get plain, freshly ground peanuts. Most peanut butter contains sugar.
Love that these have no sugar.
These sound great! I love any healthy sweets as an alternative for stuffing your face with something really bad for you. Definitely adding to my list of recipes to try!
I wonder if they can be made with Nutella? We have a peanut allergy:(
Kim, I bet Nutella would be delicious in these cookies! Please let us know how they turn out!
Will the Nutella change the Weight Watchers points? If so, what will the new points be?
It would definitely change the points.
Nutella has the same amount of calories per serving as peanut butter. If you use the same amount (1/4 cup) it will not change the calories.
However, nutella is chock full of sugar! Vs peanut butter, which has more protein. I’m sure it would taste great!
DOn’t forget that Nutella is half sugar!
So do a lot of peanut butter.
Almond butter
If natural peanut butter is used, there is no sugar
I am sure that cashew or almond butter would work just as well. I can’t do peanut either and these substitutes always work great for me.
Soybean butter tastes just like peanut butter and is a great alternative if there is a nut allergy and is super healthy
Use almond butter or some other nut butter instead of peanut butter. (Almond butter is delicious!)
I am not sure I could only eat one of these – I’ll eat 2 and count it as a protein, fruit, carb snack.
Do they taste like Banana or is that more of a sweetener/filler?
The bananas do serve as a sweetener, but I found that I could still taste them (which I like, but others may not!). Hope that helps…
I made these and mine just didn’t seem to cook in the middle – did I do something wrong? I cooked for an extra 5 minutes and it still wasn’t “done”. My stove is bang on for temperature and I didn’t have any issues with other cookies….are these supposed to be that way?
Sherri, I’m sorry your cookies didn’t turn out.
Were they still not “done” in the middle after they cooled completely? The cookies are very soft, even when completely cooked/cooled, but I didn’t have a problem with them not cooking through. If they’re still giving you problems, I’d maybe try another 5 minutes as long as the outsides aren’t getting burned.
I made these today, blogged them and linked back to you! Thank you for such a great recipe!
http://successful2gether.blogspot.com/2011/10/skinny-monkey-bites.html
Do u think quick cooking oats would work too?
Yes, I think they would!
Just had to say these are incredible!! Found them a while ago on pinterest and have made them SO many times since
Thought i would finally post and say, totally awesome!! Thank you! (one of the times we were out of coco powder so I added some choc. chips.. adds points, but it was SO close to a real one, it was worth it! ) Mmmmm!! Anyone considering… make them!
[...] Skinny Monkey cookies [...]
I made these cookies for my nephews 1st birthday party-monkey themed. So yummy and a real hit. I will make these again in the future!!
could you use over ripe banannas? I have a few of those I need to do something with….
Yes you can Darcie!
I have frozen banana’s will those work once thawed and moisture drained? These sound wonderful and my husband could eat them on his diet.
I think they would be fine Shirlene
You could keep all the banana goodness by reducing the liquid that comes off the bananas and adding it to the batter. I do that when I use frozen bananas baking recipes after reading about it in Cooks Illustrated.
What can I use in place of bananas?? I want to make these, but am not crazy about banana flavor… Hmm.
I think pumpkin, applesauce, or sweetpotato would work, though they might want to switch up the spices a bit (add cinnamon maybe). They all sub out equally well for each other and for bananas in the same amounts. I think 3 bananas is about 1 1/2 cup mashed.
I wonder if these would be good just refrigerated to set, versus baking?
I’m not sure. We haven’t tried them that way. If you try it, let us know!
[...] Pear Oatmeal Crisp & Skinny Monkey Cookies [...]
I must have done something wrong. I followed the recipe but these things were awful. Everyone in the family took one bite each and tossed em. What did I forget to add that gives it a flavor other than dirt?
We are getting some reports on this. I’m wondering, did you use a really ripe banana or no? And I imagine if the oats were older they would taste like that. There isn’t extra sugar to cover that up.
I made them yesterday and had the same outcome. They looked bad and tasted bad.
I am sorry you felt that way. I made them yesterday also and really liked them. I know several have said they didn’t though too.
Stumbled across these gems on Pinterest and made them right away! I left out the cocoa powder and vanilla & used homemade apple butter (essentially spiced applesauce). Amazing! As a nursing mom these are a great treat – the potassium in bananas helps keep you hydrated and the oats help in milk production. Thank you!
So glad you stumbled into them and that you are visiting via Pinterest. Hope you stick around!
Megan, if you’re nursing, add some brewer’s yeast too. It’s tasty and supports milk production.
These sound great! How many cookies does this recipe make?
The servings listed say 30 – 1 serving per cookie.
Making these tonight! So glad these are only 1 WW PP!
Made them.. Loved them!!
They have sort of a spongy texture but delicious nonetheless! I blended the oats with a little special K original cereal to add some crunch! And before placing them in the oven I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top..
My dad is borderline diabetic but has a huge sweet tooth so Im grateful to have found these!!
xoxo
I tried these tonight and they tasted very bland.. I don’t know what I did wrong but I did not enjoy them..
Will this work with natural peanut butter? It has a more liquid consistency, but is a healthier alternative that I enjoy.
I can not wait to make these! I would suggest exchanging the Peanut Butter for PB2 (powdered PB). The 1/4 cup would only be 90 calories, 3g fat, 188mg sodium, 10g carb & 10g protein. You can order some by following my link above.
Are they suppose to be a teaspoon for each cookie as I got 40 & they were heaping teaspoons as they seemed very small?
I too, thought they were very bland. I was not very impressed
Well, they don’t have sugar in them so perhaps that is the reason? Certainly adding spices like cinnamon which another reader suggested might help that factor.
Well I know they don’t have sugar, which is great, but to me they need something sweeter in them because they seem to be so bland they are almost disgusting. Maybe a little bit of stevia as a more natural sweetener?
I agree. I made them tonight too and they were gross! I’m not a sugar freak, but they were definitely lacking flavor. I wouldn’t recommend.
I made these today, and they were not tasty. I used regular bananas, not overly ripe ones as I thought the recipe would call for. There just wasn’t anything going on.
I don’t waste food, so my husband and I are going to make ice cream sandwiches out of them.
Any suggestions for why they weren’t good?
I fear many don’t like the fact that there isn’t much sugar at all (no added, some in some of the ingredients). The other issue could be use of old oats. Others have liked the addition of spices like cinnamon.
I used fresh oats in mine, I don’t think that has anything to do with it.
Made these just now…were not that great at all
not too sure where I went wrong either. Just thinking they taste a little too “healthy” if ya know what I’m saying..there’s just not much too them!!! I’m sorry!!
I made these tonight, I thought they were pretty good, but next time I will definitely add cinnamon or other spices. I also only got 20 cookies which shows I made them too big, so they ended up being 2 WW pts.I will make them smaller next time!
These cookies are a far stretch from their sugary counterpart. They are ok. Rather bland!
Can you suggest something to subsitute for the peanut butter? I really don’t care for it but would love to make these cookies.
Do you like other nut butters like almond?
Turned out great!!!! if you are expecting something super sweet, you might not like this cookie. However, I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for a while and am so glad to have found this one. Will definitely be making again!
Do you have to use ripe bananas or are the normal ones ok?
I would use ripe bananas, I suppose we should specify that.
I usually keep over ripe bananas in the freezer for baking… is that what you would use for this recipe, or should they be firmer fresh bananas?
Nevermind… Just saw that you answered a similar question earlier. Thanks!
These are tasty, but I wish they were a little more solid. I’m gonna tinker with them. Thanks for posting!
Do these have to be frozen? If were having people over could I just bake and serve over the weekend without freezing?
Nope they do not! They’re just freezer friendly.
Thanks!
They are in the oven at this moment!
I found you on Pinterest
Great recipe, though I agree with some of the others that it is lacking the sweetness. I decided only to use 2 bananas rather than 3. I added a large chocolate chip to the top of each cookie in half the batch and a package of Splenda to the other half. Both ways worked well, depending on the type of sweetness you are looking for. But the cookie has a great base to be anything you want…by adding nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, I bet you could even roll it in coconut!
Thanks for the recipe!
These look super good! I plan to make them soon. However, for all of you that think they do not have any sugar, you are mistaken. Bananas, unsweetened applesauce, and even natural peanut butter still contain natural sugar. There may not be any added sugars, but they still contain sugar.
Going to try these. They look delicious. Since many seem to say they lack any sweetness. I am going to add 1 or 2 pkgs of Stevia and a handful of 70% chocolate chips and see if that helps.
I’ll report back later.
Thanks for sharing.
Can I use chunky peanut butter?
Yes you can.
[...] Skinny Monkey Cookies Raw Cookie Dough Bites 5 Minute Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars [...]
I’m in the middle of making these right now. because of the complaints of lack of sweetness, i put in 5 dates. I put all the ingredients but oats in my vitamix added a bit of coconut oil too while blending. It looked liked chocolate pudding and my 5 year old loved licking the spoon so I’m hoping the cookie form will be just as good.
I absolutely love no bake cookies and these look similar however, I have decided to give up sugar so I will give these a try. One thing I have been using to sweeten with is chopped dates. Maybe these cookies need that added to sweeten them more.
Tried it with frozen bananas and added a 4.5 ounce box of chopped dates. Used unsweetened pear sauce instead of apple. Made 29 cookies. I love them but, this only the second sugar free cookie recipe I have ever found.
I made these tonight and I liked them, but my son said they were too banana-y. I love the idea of making with pumpkin or sweet potato (as long as he wasn’t watching.) We use 100% natural peanut butter and unsweetened applesauce, and the bananas were’nt overly ripe, so added some stevia to sweeten them up as I knew we’d need that. I’m thinking next time I might add some oat flour (blended oats) to make them not so moist. And, I think they’d be good with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (or both!) but it would raise the calorie value. I think they’d be great for a backpacking snack.
I found these on Pinterest and made them immediately. I have a terrible sweet tooth and am trying to drastically cut out sugar. They were good, but not great. Next time I will probably use over-ripe bananas (as if making banana bread) and some honey or other natural sweetener to keep out the sugar and the calories down. I think this a great base for a recipe and just needs to be tinkered to your specific taste. Will be a regular in my recipe stash, for sure, though! I am intrigued about using pumpkin and other nut butters.
[...] 21, 2012 I saw a link to these cookies earlier in the week and was so excited to try them for this weeks Weight Watcher’s post! [...]
I cant wait to try these. I am going to try some alternatives since I am allergic to bananas but I LOVE anything with oats!
Just had to let you know that I made these today with my 4-year-old son. Not only was it a memory making experience, but he absolutely LOVES the cookies! Both the dough and the cooked . . . he loved all of it!
I did add a combination of milk chocolate chips and carob chips and used three very ripe bananas, and the bananas added quite a bit of sweetness. I tossed in a bit of extra cocoa and used the cinnamon as well. YUMMY! Thanks for a fantastic, healthy cookie recipe!
You are most welcome. I am glad he loved them.
I’m a high school Family and Consumer Science teacher and was looking for something healthy yet tasty for my students. My sister found this on Pinterest and shared it with me. It is wonderful! I even made it with Wowbutter instead of Peanut Butter as one of my students has a severe allergy, and it tasted great. I also made it with SunButter in place of peanut butter (sunflower seed) and added a couple small packets of stevia and they taste wonderful. So happy I tried this recipe! Will definitely share it! [=
Wow! Thanks. I am glad you are sharing it with your class too. Are you doing a unit on freezer cooking soon too?
[...] some “Skinny Monkey” cookies Monday night. I thought they were just okay. Sean didn’t like them. Oh well; it was [...]
These sound yummy! Can’t wait to try them! If you wanted to make them a little less health and a tad sweeter, I wonder what adding chocolate chips would do?
[...] Skinny Monkey Cookies [...]
These are great, so I don’t understand the reviews that say they aren’t sweet enough. They are GREAT!! I love to eat them raw!
I also enjoyed them raw as well;)
MAde these tonight for the HUbs and I!! I have to say that they were YUMMY!!! We will def be making these again!! Thanks;)
just made these this evening, changed them up a tad as sugar wasn’t a concern for us as much as the gluten is. used homemade applesauce which does have some sugar in it, also my organic peanut butter has a little sugar in it. added 5 dates chopped up, no cinnamon, chocolate chips, less cocoa powder and rolled them in shredded coconut. yum! i love the chocolate banana taste with a touch of PB. thanks!
[...] returned home, I decided to try another recipe I saw on Pinterest to put in the freezer for later: Skinny Monkey Cookies. First, I took my beans out of the oven to put on the grill later. They have turned a lovely [...]
Found the recipe on Pinterest, and I made these yesterday for my family. We all love them. Because of the comments above, I added 1/4 cup of sugar – still kept the WW PP at 1 per cookie. Along with the limited amount of sugar used, I really like these because they don’t have a cup of butter as most cookies do.
Made these today! They are great. I see some comments of others that think they taste awful. They are not “sweet” as we typically think cookies should be. The only sweetner is the bananas ~ takes a few bites to adjust for those of us used to ingesting sugar filled sweets. After a while of no sugar, these are awesome and your taste buds adjust to the natural sweetners. Great, healthy alternative! I love them. Thanks for sharing!
Tried these today with my daycare kiddos. Unfortunately they didn’t go over very well. next time I’ll try it with nutella and flatten them out so they’re not so “mushy” in the middle. My diabetic grandmother appreciated them though and it’s always nice to find a treat that she can have!
[...] Oatmeal Scrambled eggs, fruit Skinny Monkey Cookies, fruit, hard-boiled eggs Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit Hard-boiled eggs, [...]
I am making these tomorrow! I plan on serving them for breakfast
Can not get my 4 year old to eat oatmeal with the rest of his siblings but anything in cookie form he will eat!! Thank you!
Kristin,
I also found oatmeal pancakes on Pinterest that you mix all ingredients in a blender. They were delicious & a great way to add oatmeal to your child’s diet. Here’s the recipe:
6 egg whites
1 cup rolled oats, dry
1 cup cottage cheese
2 teaspoons sugar(I used maple sugar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed. Makes about 10 pancakes.
Number of Servings: 3
Nutritional Info Per Serving:
181 Calories, 2.7g Fat, 10mg Cholesterol, 361mg Sodium, 20g Carbs, 2.8g Fiber
So want to make these! But, I can’t eat peanut, soy, or almond butter (all migraine triggers). Are there multiple different substitutes that would work? I loved these as a kid! : )
Are you allergic to hazlenuts? Would nutella work? Another though would be Sunbutter. It’s peanut free, tree nut free, soy and gluten free.
[...] raw peanuts to roast and make peanut butter and then this. [...]
I made these tonight after seeing how easy the recipe was. I liked the fact that they were natural, no sugar and had protein. I was a bit disappointed in the taste. I’m more of a texture person and maybe it was the texture. I think that if this will solve your sweet tooth then go for it. I think I would try again however maybe Nutella is the way to go. My husband does like them though
Just made these and wasn’t a fan. Very little taste. I wonder if adding honey would improve the taste. I hate to throw away food but these are going to find a home in my wastebasket! I was thinking honey because when I make no bake energy bites, they have similar ingredients and the taste is wonderful. My oats were new and the bananas ripe and flavorful. My peanut butter is no sugar natural peanut butter so maybe that was the issue.
I have a question, is the peanut butter natural with no added sugar/sald?
Liv, it depends on the peanut butter brand. Just be sure to check your labels.
Made these yesterday. After reading comments about the cookies being bland and tasting the uncooked dough, I chose to add salt (between 1/4-1/2 teaspoon for the batch) which made a huge difference. I also went ahead and added 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. Though the cookie has a very “cake-y” texture, they tasted good to me and were a big hit with my 19-mo-old, which is what I was shooting for.
Made these cookies exactly as directed, and loved them!!! The whole family did, and within the hour they had been devoured. I thought it had just the right amount of sweetness, and we all absolutely loved the soft gooey texture in the middle. These are now in our “favorite deserts” recipe box, so thanks!!!
I thought they tasted okay, but I couldn’t get over the texture
My 3 year old LOVED them though, especially since she didn’t have to share them with Mommy – so I count them as a success!
I just made these and they turned out great! I used soy butter (crunchy) and raspberry/canberry applesauce. I will definitely be making these again!
Oh that sounds like a GREAT combination.
My 7 year old daughter just made these all by herself, but added agave to sweeten them up. She liked the batter just okay before the agave,but it was fairly bland so I suggested she add a sweetener. After that, she LOVED the batter. The cookies are baking now, I hope they turn out good. If not, she still had fun doing it and will just eat the rest of the batter raw. Thanks for sharing!
That is so fun that your kids are making them. That makes me smile big this morning.
found these on pinterest and i just made them tonight.
SO delicious, i love the texture and the taste, they’re a perfect treat!
they’ll be a new regular for sure
thank you!
So glad you like them!
[...] Skinny Monkey Cookies from Once a Month Mom | OAMC from Once A Month Mom [...]
The first time I made these, they got over-cooked when baked for 10 minutes and were a little bland. My toddler still loved them! He was picking out the oats, though, so this time, I ground the oats into a coarse flour in the food processor. I also added a drizzle of agave syrup into the batter. I baked them for only 9 minutes this time and they came out perfect. They are soft inside, but I know from the last batch that that’s okay. They taste great this time! Thanks for the recipe. It’s great to find things that my picky toddler will eat!!
Loved them! No they aren’t quite the same as the sugar loaded real ones, but I also can eat them and not feel the need to add an extra mile to my run. Bonus points that my kids loved them too!
That is fantastic to hear. Glad your kids liked them as well. Bonus!
[...] having great luck with banana bread, I decided to take it a step further and make these Skinny Monkey Cookies. At first I did not like them. They looked like rich chocolaty deliciousness but tasted like [...]
a lot of people have been complaining that they are bland. well, unripe or barely ripe bananas don’t have that strong of a flavor. overly ripe bananas do. so, use those. i always have bananas in the freezer, so i used those. i think the cookies are yum… i couldn’t wait for them to bake so i was eating the dough. once they bake, they’ll be perfect to take to work to snack on instead of easter candy!
[...] Skinny Monkey Cookies [...]
I really liked these…soft and chewy and they had a mild banana/chocolate flavor. I did use sweetened applesauce (it’s what I had in my fridge and I think that helped sweeten it just enough). I am also a dark chocolate lover which the flavor reminded me of…don’t have a huge sweet tooth otherwise, so for me these were GREAT! I will definitely make again.
These are great even before they were baked! I used Better n’ peanut butter and cut the calories to 30 each and they were great.. I can’t believe some people said they were nasty?. I could eat them with a spoon, right out of the bowl! Thanks for a keeper in my recipe box!
Made these tonight and had my hopes set to high, texture was horrible..soggy inside( I also tried cooking longer to see if that helped..no luck). Maybe if I eat them frozen I can hack it. Defientely bland,I think next time ill add a sweetner of some kind!
I was looking for a sugarless no bake cookie type recipe to try and I found this on pinterest. Even after reading the mixed reviews I decided to try them and was very happy with the result. I bake and cook a lot so I knew without sugar they weren’t going to be like a typical cookie but I really like that I can trick my toddler and husband into eating something healthier than they realize they’re eating. I used cinnamon applesauce, a pinch of salt and I’m not sure how much peanut butter or cocoa I put what looked to be the right amount and tried the batter before I put it in the oven. I will definitely be making these again as an alternative to sugar filled recipes. Thanks for posting!
I just made these with Earth Balance’s Peanut Butter Cocunut Oil Spread, and the Cocunut really complimented/brought out the flavor of the banana. It was really nice! Plus, coconut oil is packed full of nutritional healthy fats…thanks for a lovely recipe! It’s delicious!!!
That does sound delicious.
I found a similar recipe on another website and made them with overly ripe bananas, nat pb, oats, vanilla, one pack of stevia, and raisins. I thought they were very good, but I didn’t know how many calories were in them.
How many cookies does the recipe yield? Thanks!
See the yield at the bottom of the post.
Just made these and they do satisfy your sweet tooth. I think its funny how many people replied they didn’t like them/or tasted gross. They DON’T have sugar and I believe it is an acquired taste, so naturally if you’re used to eating cookies with tons of sugar, you won’t like these. I love peanut butter and banana and chocolate, so I liked them!
Thanks for the review Shannon and I agree with you. No sugar is an acquired taste.
No sugar certainly is an acquired taste. But these cookies were quite bland. I wonder if using regular sweetened applesauce would satisfy those of us who grew up eating no-bake cookies and expected the taste to at least be similar. It’s like putting a chocolate cake in front of someone without any sugar. You’d probably get just as many negative reviews. Our past experience, our sense of sight, says these cookies should at least resemble regular no-bake cookies, but they don’t.
I made these tonight and I thought they were great. I have a three month old baby so I don’t have time for complicated recipes anymore…I was able to make these in 20 minutes while she napped!! They tasted great – the banana flavour was strong, but if someone doesn’t like that, I’m sure they could substitute something for it. I couldn’t taste the peanut butter….so maybe more peanut butter, less banana.
I’ve made these a couple times and changed up the banana – I wanted to taste pb & chocolate, not pb & chocolate & banana.
I doubled the pb, and I used 1 banana. Then used home-made sugar-free peach jam guessing the amount based on what 2 more bananas mashed would be. (the jam was kinda gross on its own and I have to use up 5 jars of it) They had kind of a rich, fruity taste, weren’t bad. I also used dried fruit, soaked in hot water and then blended in place of 2 bananas. Without the bananas, they don’t hold together as well, but I could have rolled them before baking and that might help.
I added Splenda to mine
I also think they taste a lot better if you refrigerate them. I’ll bet if you let the bananas ripen quite a bit, like you would for banana nut bread, that would help with the sweetness as well.
Leave out the unsweetend applsause and replace with real butter , not margarine else it will not turn out right and the cookies will fall apart. Also leave out the cinnamon, never heard of these with cinnamon. press out on a baking sheet lined with paper, or scoop them out. Refrigerate for about an hour then cut in squares, we call these no bake cookies and they are quite good if done right! Good luck to all who try this.
Sorry y’all I didn’t notice it also called for banana I recommend leaving those out also… as I have never used bananas in them.
I made these today and I thought they were good…for a low-cal cookie. None of my other family members will like them, but I didn’t expect them too anyway
Mine are what you may call ‘undone’, but I think it’s the texture they’re supposed to be.
Thanks for a tasty, good-for-you treat!
I found this recipe on Pinterest and was SO excited. I have a toddler and am always looking for ways to get fiber and protien into his diet. These cookies were inedible. I honestly couldn’t even swallow it. It is a ”cookie” so I expected sweet. This tastes like a wrong combo of ingredients (all of mine were fresh by the way). I am sorry I wasted so many good ingredients.
Sorry to hear that. I have made them several times and loved them. I am guessing it is just a palate preference.
I, too, found the recipe on Pinterest but read through all of the comments first. I used a stunningly overripe banana from the freezer (zapped in the microwave first) along with two slightly underripe bananas. I also used dark cocoa and then added about 1 tbsp of honey. I think using 3 black bananas would be sweet enough without the honey, so maybe the ripeness of the bananas is the trick. Either way, they made the house smell great and are a really lovely treat.
I looked through the comments and couldn’t find whether you used regular or unsweetened/natural peanut butter in the original recipe. Was the calorie count compiled using sweetened or no sugar added? Thanks!
The calculations were based just on “peanut butter” not no sugar added peanut butter.
I found these on Pinterest and made half a batch last night. I’m going on day 4 of reducing my sugar and processed food intake and thought they were a great substitute for a real cookie – maybe they are more like a granola bar than a cookie… I accidentally bought sweetened organic applesauce though so maybe that made them sweeter. And I used natural almond butter instead of peanut butter. I think they are best right out of the oven as they seem to get mushy overnight. I will definitely make them again
I love this recipe! Perfect for those of us who don’t like to be stuffed full of artificial sugars and fillers! Not at all bland or gross. Thank you for sharing, what a great healthy treat
Thanks for the recipe. I’m trying to figure out how many cookies you made with your batch to get the nutrition info?
As stated in the post above this recipe yields about 30 cookies.
Thoughts on the mixed reviews: I’ll bet that many of the good reviews come from those whose palate is already accustomed to low/no sugar diets or those who used conventional peanut butter, which contains added sugar, and therefore would result in a sweeter cookie. To get a sweeter cookie without adding sugar (or splenda, etc.) I would suggest the following: 1. Try subbing a bit of almond butter for some of the peanut butter. 2. Use almond extract instead of vanilla extract. 3. Use ripe/overripe bananas which are naturally sweeter. 4. Add a natural sugar/sweetener like maple syrup or honey. Both would increase the sweetness but each has a very strong flavor and would probably change the taste of the cookie, so be aware of that (maybe agave nectar instead?). Finally, I’d also suggest adding a bit of salt (~1/4 tsp). Most baked goods need salt to help round out the flavors. (Although most peanut butters will already have salt added.) I would also try mixing the cocoa powder with the applesauce before adding it to the other ingredients – that way, you won’t have any bits of unmixed cocoa floating around which might have a bitter or “dirt-like” taste that some people mentioned.
I agree 100% with your post. Alot of things that my family & I think taste amazing our friends say are bland or ‘not much flavor’. This cookie would definitely fall in that category. They are healthy & tasty- if you like healthy.
I just made these cookies and I liked the flavor of the cookie, but mine tasted almost dry. I only cooked them for 10 min and removed them immediately from the cookie sheet to keep from overcooking. Did I do something wrong or is this normal for this cookie and I just had a different expectation of what it should be like? Thanks!
[...] Skinny Monkey Cookies by Once a Month Mom [...]
I thought these turned out great however my Hubby and kiddos didn’t agree. I think it comes down to what you are used to eating. I have cut almost all unnatural sugar out of my diet so these tasted very sweet and yummy. My family who eats a lot of sugar found them very bland.
[...] into it on occasion, and use it whenever a nut butter is called for in a recipe….like these Skinny Monkey Cookies that Amy sent me the link to! They look delicious and right up my alley! they remind me of some [...]
The day I made them I (sadly) agreed with “bland” opinions… But the next day I really liked them… And the day after they were even better!? Not sure if my taste buds stopped expecting sugar, or if the bananas etc actually sweetened over time. I will now be making Skinny Monkeys again
[...] the recipe called them Skinny Monkey Cookies. I made these tonight and they are pretty tasty, especially for the nutrition stats that each one [...]
[...] Skinny Monkey Cookies [...]
I made these today and LOVE them! My 3 year old daughter really likes them too! Win!
I used ripe/overripe bananas, natural peanut butter (without added sugar but does have a little salt added) and unsweetened applesauce. The cookies turned out with just the right amount of sweetness for our tastes.