Banana Date Cookies from Great Grandma's Kitchen

My great-grandpa Efeard, great-grandma Annabelle and grandpa George Bradley, Christmas 1942

Last year, I was given a box of my great-grandma's and great-great-grandma's recipes and cookbooks.

Great-great grandma Tresa Baker and son Harold, 1904

I know!  Totally a blessing, right?!!

I've been kicking around the idea of doing a series on Great Grandma's Kitchen where I share some of the more unique recipes they kept.  This morning, I was visiting Rachel at Bubbly Nature Creations where I discovered her Heirloom Recipes Blog Hop---the perfect place to link up these inherited recipes!


Please visit her blog hop at the end of this post and be inspired! You might even want to share your own Heirloom Recipes!

Although our family does not have any major food allergies that cause us to have to limit certain ingredients, I still like to be on the look out for wheat, sugar and egg-free recipes.  That way, I have something to either serve to our friends who are avoiding these groups, or offer to my kids for another healthy alternative.  Even better when I can find a recipe that uses up old bananas as we always seem to have a bunch! (Get it?  hee hee)

This recipe was featured in the March 7, 1979 issue of The Oregonian newspaper.  Nutritionist Pat Fitch put together this milk, egg, wheat and sugar free recipe which relies on fruit for sweetness.  It does contain nuts, which some have allergies to, but these can always be omitted.

I changed it up a little bit, substituting applesauce instead of oil (only healthy fats allowed in these cookies!) and adding cinnamon and nutmeg.  You could use several different purees in place of oil---pears, squash and pumpkin are all great substitutes.  They turned out excellent!  Very soft and dense.  They remind me of Erin Baker's Breakfast Cookies that I used to buy when we lived near Seattle.

Banana Date Cookies


3 bananas
3/4 c. applesauce or other fruit puree (or 1/3 c. oil)
1 c. chopped dates
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. oats
 

Mash bananas and use a spoon to mix in all other ingredients. 

Let the mixture stand for a few minutes so the oats can absorb some of the moisture. 

Drop onto a cookie sheet.  I use a Pampered Chef baking stone so I don't oil it but you might want to oil your cookie sheet a little since there's no oil in the recipe.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from sheet and cool on a rack.

Let me know if you try them out---I'd love to hear from you!

Hope In Every Season is on Facebook!  If you like what you've read here, please follow me and keep up with the latest posts.