Carob Chip Cookies

These carob chip cookies are stripped down to the essentials: mashed banana, oil, an egg, flour, oats, and carob chips. There’s no added sugar in this entire recipe. The ripe banana provides all the sweetness, and the carob chips bring their own mild, naturally sweet flavor that’s gentler than chocolate.

Mashing the banana until it measures exactly ¼ cup and beating it with the oil until creamy creates a smooth base that holds the dough together without butter. The banana also keeps these cookies moist and soft rather than dry and crumbly, even without the sugar that normally helps cookies retain moisture.

Rolled oats give the cookies a hearty, textured chew, and the carob chips melt slightly during baking into soft, warm pockets throughout. These are done the moment the edges start to brown. Pull them at 10 minutes for a soft, barely-set cookie that firms up as it cools on the rack.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a very ripe banana. Brown spots mean more sugar and more flavor. An underripe banana won’t sweeten the cookies enough and tastes starchy.
• Measure the mashed banana. One small banana usually yields about ¼ cup. Too much banana makes the cookies spread too thin and stay gummy.
• Drop by teaspoons, not tablespoons. These are meant to be small, bite-sized cookies. Larger portions won’t bake through evenly.
• Don’t overbake. They should look slightly underdone when pulled from the oven. They firm up as they cool.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of honey if you want a touch more sweetness beyond what the banana provides.
• Chocolate chip swap: Use mini chocolate chips instead of carob if you prefer a more familiar flavor.
• Peanut butter addition: Stir in two tablespoons of natural peanut butter with the banana for a richer, more filling cookie.