Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free)

My youngest son has a mild allergy to cow's milk and is eczema seems to flare up with eggs as well. Since discovering this, I have been using soy milk in all my baking, and have tried several dairy free and even egg free recipes and techniques. One idea I found was to use ground linseed as a binder in place of egg. Now that I have finally invested in a spice grinder, I have been experimenting with this idea with mixed results (the pancakes didn't turn out so well). After a couple of attempts, though, I have developed a recipe for banana oat cookies that are healthy enough to eat for breakfast, or any time of day. They aren't like the normal cookies that you would make with all the butter and sugar, but they are sweet, soft and chewy. Between me and my boys, the last batch I made lasted one day.

You will need a spice grinder, or some other way of grinding the linseed into a powder first. If you don't have one, you could try using one egg in it's place. I haven't tried this yet, so I don't know how it would change the recipe, but I'm sure it would work.

Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 Tbs ground linseed
3 Tbs water
2 medium sized, ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs honey
2 cups oats (I used porridge oats, similar to quick oats)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup soy flour (or all purpose/plain flour)
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/170 C fan assisted. Line baking sheets with baking/parchment paper, or grease them. In a small bowl combine the ground linseed and water, stir and set aside. In a medium bowl combine mashed bananas, vanilla and honey. In a larger bowl combine the remaining (dry) ingredients. Test the linseed mixture, it should be kind of gloopy (like the consistency of a beaten egg).  If it's ready, add it to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture, and stir until combined.

Using a round tablespoon (or small ice-cream scoop), scoop up the cookie mixture pressing it against the side of the bowl, then tap the spoon onto the tray to release the dough. It may be useful to grease the spoon with a little oil. Using the back of the spoon, gently press the ball down in the middle to flatten the ball.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are turning brown. Cool on a cooling rack, and enjoy!

Here is a video showing how I get the shape for my cookie. I made it originally for my coconut macaroon cookies that I haven't posted yet, but the technique is still the same.