Almost Sugar Free Vegan Banana Nut Oatmeal Cookies

I know.  The title is a handful!  However, they are super, super yummy!  I'm not sure if I mentioned this but since moving back to San Diego, I am helping my mom out at our family business..,The donut shop.  Yep, lots of sweets at the donut shop...and unfortunately, lots of diabetics too.  I get a lot of diabetics coming in, "cheating."  And while I can't dictate to them what they should and should not eat, I figure I could help them out by giving them other options.  So, I decided to try my hand at sugar-free baking!  I had originally found  a recipe for a vegan oatmeal cookie, but it came out super dry and this weird squishy hard....Does that make sense?  It was somewhat soft when it came out of the oven (although it was supposed to be crispy) and then hardened up to a rock-like texture once cooled...I know, not very appetizing!  The original recipe had raisins in it, so I thought to make it more moist, I'd add unsweetened apple sauce.  Later that night, however, I had a strike of brilliance: I'll make banana nut oatmeal cookies instead!  I didn't really care too much for raisins in the first place!  These cookies are almost sugar free...the original recipe called for agave nectar to sweeten it.  Agave nectar is a sweetener produced from the agave plant.  It is ideal for diabetics and people watching their sugar intake because it has a lower glycemic load than regular white sugar.  I had used a good portion of my agave nectar on my first trial batch of cookies and only had half of the amount needed to make my banana nut oatmeal cookies.  So, what I did was use the leftover amount of agave nectar and some Equal to make up for some of the lost agave...making these cookies almost sugar free!

I was pretty impressed with how these cookies taste!  I know that after-taste taste of artificial sweeteners and can usually pin point it out, but that taste is hidden pretty well in these cookies!  You really do not miss out on the sweetness of cookies with this combination of agave and Equal!  It's almost a cross between a banana nut muffin and a cookie.  It's not quite as dense as a muffin, yet not as chewy as a cookie.  I was super stoked about this product.  I really think it's something my customers can eat and actually enjoy!  I'm not diabetic and even I would have no trouble enjoying these cookies!

I'm really hoping that these cookies will be a hit!  I've always wanted to give my customers an alternative to mend their cheatin' ways and hopefully they take a chance on these cookies and never look back!  Until next time readers!