It’s been one of those days, kind of dreary and wet, a bit chilly. I headed for the kitchen because it’s also that time again. I have extra in the garden and I dislike waste. I happened to have three very ripe bananas. I was all set.
I was going to make banana cookies or smoothies, but look what the husband found. It’s only early July, but this is the first of what we know will be a plentiful crop. No problem.
I looked for a recipe that called for bananas and zucchini.
Ever since my son told us about the untimely death of the man who bought the couch, I have been trying to eat better, even balanced. Dinner has never been a problem, but breakfast and lunch is where I could use some help. Lucky me! I found the perfect recipe.
I could not believe my eyes. Both my great grandma and my father died from diabetes, and I’m guessing my risk of being diagnosed is higher than for those without a family history. I try to find recipes with low sugar, or none, and I try to watch my overall carb intake.
You are correct in noticing that bananas are missing from the list. I found plenty of recipes with zucchini and bananas, but they called for lots of sugar, so I decided to “Karenize” this one. Aside from adding one very ripe banana, I followed this exactly as printed. With two large zucchini squash and three ripe bananas, I doubled the recipe.
(Note: I mentioned I had three ripe bananas. I used two for this recipe and froze the third. So, I followed this recipe exactly but added two ripe bananas.)
I was pleased to see that the original recipe calls for 1/3 cup sugar and only 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Adding the banana makes it sweeter, and in hindsight I probably could have added none.

I could live on these alone, for years, without complaint, except my gut would scream.
I absolutely LOVE walnuts. I could eat them daily. In fact, I have, and later paid dearly (but I’ll spare you the details. You’re welcome). They are very healthy and I use them sparingly when I can.
Another ingredient I like to use is oats. I like the texture and the taste, and that it reduces overall flour amounts. It seems that most cookie recipes call for more than the one cup here. I can live with that.
I’m also a snob when it comes to chocolate chips. I only buy Ghirardelli dark. Only.
When I’d added all of this together, I was afraid it would be too gooey from the bananas. I was right, so the test would be in the baking. I settled on 375 for 10 minutes.

It WAS gooey. But, it’s pretty, right?
Just look at the health in that bowl! I let it sit for a few minutes to allow the oats to soak up some of the moisture.

(Karenized) Banana Zucchini Breakfast Cookies
They appear to be healthier than most recipes with the walnuts, zucchini, oats, bananas, and reduced sugar. Both the husband and I tried a dozen couple to make sure they had baked the proper time and make sure the ingredients had been balanced. (I heard that.)
All we can say is because they are so good, they are suitable for any meal, and there ain’t no breakfast about it.
These look amazing Karen. I never would have thought of a zucchini and banana combination. Very different.
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They are very good, Miriam. I tend to prefer a cookie that is moist, not crisp, and these certainly are moist. I’m always trying to find recipes with reduced sugar, or none, and I think these may be OK with none. Let me know if you try them. 🙂 ❤
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I will Karen, thanks again, and have a lovely weekend. xo
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🙂
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I will try these; like you, I like all the ingredients — especially the banana!
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Let me know how you like them! I made a double batch…and we have, um, very few left. 😉
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Sounds great—except I hate bananas, so I’d stick with the original recipe!
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I like them, but not when or if the flavor it too strong. Hard to do that when they are very ripe, but in this recipe, the flavor was spot on. These are also very moist and apparently would make good muffins. Will try that. 😉
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Love that “Karenized”. Those look amazing!!
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Thank you! They are pretty good. 🙂
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I bet! I’m a non-sugar gal myself.
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Have you cut it out completely? And if so, do you use any substitutes? This was always hard when the kids were growing up and I was attempting some non-sugar recipes. Ideas?
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Like you did, I usually use bananas for sweetness. Last time I used cane sugar (because it said its not processed) and it worked great as a substitute. Next time I’ll cut the amount in half and see if that still works.
Most of the time, I either reduce the sugar or use a bit of honey.
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I found a recipe the other week for banana bread that called for a full 2 CUPS OF SUGAR. I was blown away. Two whole cups. No wonder the raves were sky high. Probably caused a few diabetic incidents as well. 😦
I have not used cane sugar very much, once a long time ago. I also use honey. Sparingly. I make my own cappuccino mix with real cocoa powder (instead of Nesquik)–a recipe from my Brazilian sister–and I put a dollop of honey in the prepared drink for sweetener. I have cut nearly all of the sugar in this drink (but it’s still my weakness). 😉
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