another life-changing appliance

the only sad thing about august was that my good friend, ka, finished his teaching contract and left korea for a big travel adventure. good for him, but boo for me. he's a hawaii boy, though, so i'll see him again. on the bright side of his departure, he gave me his little toaster oven, which i'm totally stoked about. check out my first batch of toaster oven cookies; banana-oatmeal-coconut-raisin power cookies! YUMMY.

Banana-Oatmeal Power Cookies
Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature (or vegan substitute)
• 1 very ripe banana, mashed
• 1 egg, at room temperature (to make it vegan and substituted another banana)
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or golden raisins (or any dried fruit)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used almonds)
• chocolate chips are also an option!

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Lightly grease 1 or 2 baking sheets.
• In a bowl, stir together the flour, coconut, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
• In a large bowl, cream the brown sugar and butter with a wooden spoon until fluffy.
• Add the banana and egg and beat with a fork until blended.
• Stir in the flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, and then stir in the dried fruit and nuts.
• Spoon the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
• Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through baking if 2 pans were used.
• Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets on a rack for about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Makes about 18 cookies.
  

Buen Provecho!