Eating sugar is such a slippery slope. I always have the best intentions to keep sugar out of my diet, and then, after a while I inevitably get lax with it.
It starts off innocently. I’ll just add a little honey to this peanut butter banana sandwich. Why not top my oatmeal with some pure maple syrup? That’s not so bad; it’s natural sugar, after all.
Then, I’m adding 1/2 cup of Sucanat to every other baked good I make. I justify it because at least it’s unrefined evaporated cane juice and retains some nutrients.
The next thing you know, sugar, whether it be refined or unrefined, natural or not, starts to take over.
The truth is this: sugar is sugar. Whether you consume it in the form of the white refined stuff or via honey, it still has a negative effect on your body. Which is why I’ve always contended that sugar, even natural sweeteners, should only be a small part of your diet, eaten in moderation.
The moderation part has been eluding me lately.
So, for the next 40 days, in honor of Lent, I am giving up sugar. No Sucanat. No honey. No maple syrup. No agave nectar. Gone, gone, gone, and gone. Anything with added sugar will not be consumed by me.
I made these little no-sugar added cookies as a way to transition from eating way too many sugary foods to eating none at all. They are not technically “sugar free”, but their sugar comes from the bananas and dates. They are definitely the healthiest cookie I’ve had in a while.
Even though these are healthy cookies, they are satisfying my sweet tooth. The flavor is strong banana with subtle peanut butter undertones. The peanuts add a nice little crunch that complements the chewy oats and banana combination.
Whether you are giving up sugar for lent or just want a healthier cookie to feed your toddler or kids, give these little guys a try. They are easy to whip together and super tasty.
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Banana Peanut Butter Crunchies
A healthy cookie with no added sugar, these little crunchies are bursting with banana and peanut butter flavor. They are vegan and gluten-free if you use certified GF oats.
Makes approximately 4 dozen small cookies
1 1/3 cup mashed banana (4 small bananas)
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup dates, chopped
2/3 cup peanuts, chopped
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients well. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by the tablespoon full onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are golden brown. Enjoy!
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Maryea is a stay-at-home mom on a mission to feed her family wholesome, real foods and stay a sane, happy mama at the same time! Click here to get free email updates with her posts:
I do agree- it is so hard to keep a handle on when sugar is involved. A little here, a little there and pretty soon it’s on everything. I need to cut back for sure. These cookies are a great little treat with no added sugar! Mmmmm!
Those sound great! Thanks for this recipe. We’ve really been trying to limit the sugar around here lately, too. It does get out of control quite easily, I agree. Can’t wait to give these a try.
Yum!! I always love a good no sugar added treat, and I really like that you didn’t use stevia in here too to sweeten it up. Dates and banana work wonders at sweetening goodies up.
Way to give up sugar. I agree, it should really only be a tiny part of our diets, not a norm.
Stevia definitely would have been an overkill here!
Oh it’s so hard to keep control of sugar! My body craves sugar sometimes. I’m not totally a fan of peanuts so I’m wondering if cashews would be good in this too?
Oh my body totally craves it. It’s addictive stuff! I think cashews would be wonderful in this. Let me know if you try it! You could also just omit the peanuts and it’d be good that way, too.
Nice! I am the same way with sugar. I can go a long time without it, and LOVE how I truly don’t miss it when I finally break the habit. But then some how it sneaks in and I have to go through the withdrawal period all over again. Oy!
I’m going to try this recipe next time I’m bitten by the baking bug, love how simple and healthy it is!
I TOTALLY need to make these! Even without sugar, they look absolutely delicious!
They are still very sweet without sugar thanks to the bananas and dates. Be careful though–they’re addicting!
Good luck with your giving up sugar!!! If you ever need any help, feel free to email me!
And those definitely look like my kind of cookie-yum!
Thanks, Alex! So far, so good. Oh wait, it’s only been a day. hee hee
I actually had a dream that I ate a Reese’s peanut butter cup last night. How weird!
I’m so glad to see this post! I’m giving up sugars for lent too, and last night I dreamed that I’d already forgotten and had a big piece of cake. Keep the non-sugar sweet tooth recipes coming!
Too funny–I had a dream last night that I forgot and ate a Reese’s peanut butter cup! Clearly we have sugar on the brain! :0
Ah, I’m the exact same way and sugar has been sneaking it’s way into more and more things lately. Definitely going to try these some time soon
I agree! I’ve been heading down that slippery slope for a while now. I need to back off the sugar and this is the perfect thing to do so. Love it! And your photos are fabulous.
How awesome that you’re giving up sugar for Lent! I’ve done that twice in the past and always enjoyed it!
I’m not sure that I’ll “enjoy it”, but it’ll be good for me! ha ha
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Sugar is a slippery slope with me too. I’m not cutting it out for Lent, but I do find that going cold turkey for a few days helps reign it back in.
Good luck!
Thanks, Michelle. I’m hoping I have less of the sweet tooth by the end of Lent.
What? No sugar? Um, no way! Sugar ALL DAY, EVERYDAY baby.
JK, it’s totally evil. Haha
I would have a mighty hard time cutting it out, but I do try to keep the cravings at bay by giving in to it in tiny doses so I don’t binge on (bad) cookies or something.
I make my bf to split sweets with me any time we want something sugary, because I know half of whatever it is will suffice and we’ll be content without doing too much damage. He doesn’t like to share, but when I toss in the fact that well save money by not buying 2 frozen yogurts, or that the batch of cookies I made will last long enough that he can take them to work everyday too, he’s on board.
Anyway, I won’t feel too bad about not sharing some of these, or eating “too many.” I’m sure they’ll satisfy everything my body is looking for right now when I reach for something sweet. Thanks and good luck with those 40 days, Maryea!
Thanks, Amanda! I’m hoping I have less of a sweet tooth at the end of the 40 days. We’ll see…
Made these tonight and everyone loved them! They helped keep my girls quiet in the car on the way to pick up Daddy at the airport and served as a perfect “welcome back from your trip, here’s some real food” treat for him to munch on the way home. He ate two, then asked what was in them and when he heard how simple and clean the ingredient list was he had another. They ARE just as addicting as a sugary sweet though!
Best of luck with the next however many days until Easter!
I’m really glad you and your family liked these. I’m actually not missing the sugar or sweeteners as much as I thought I would!
Thank you Maryea! I just found your site and I already bookmarked half a dozen recipes that I want to try this week. I just finished making three of your recipes (these, the white bean pumpkin dip and the date/peanut lara bars). My son (25-months) doesn’t eat nearly enough protein, except for peanut butter (he’ll eat it right from the jar if I let him). Since he loves peanut butter and bananas, this seems like a perfect snack that he’ll eat. I usually beg them to nap longer than 50 minutes (once a day- grrrrr), but today I’m anxious for him to wake up early just so that he can try these! I added a 1/3 cup of unsweetened organic flaked coconut (we need the extra fat- he’s so skinny) and 1/4 cup of shaved dark chocolate (that’s mostly for me- mmmm chocolate). Thank you again for your delicious recipes.
You’re welcome Theresa! Your son sounds a lot like my Meghan in that she would live on peanut butter if I let her. It is definitely her main source of protein! I’m working on getting her to branch out more, but she really loves her peanut butter. I hope you enjoy all the recipes you try!