Banana Choc Chip Cookies ( diabetes friendly!)

With some old black bananas on hand, perfect for baking (even though baking isn't my favorite activity!), I decided to dive into making some diabetes-friendly cookies! In the past, my attempts often didn't turn out well, but over the years, I've eagerly tried to give it my best shot!

Eager to create diabetes-friendly treats, I chose almond flour over the usual flour for the majority of flour content! This is an awesome decision thanks to its low carb and low GI content, letting you savor the cookies with less guilt! Sure, any sugar, including brown sugar, isn't ideal, but it's all about moderation and making daily choices that support a healthier lifestyle.

In the past month, in my capacity as a Registered Nurse, I have cared for two patients in their early 30s who presented with blood sugar levels exceeding 26 mmol/L and were subsequently diagnosed with diabetes. These patients initially experienced shock and disbelief, yet also felt relieved to have an explanation for their symptoms. However, they were not fully aware of the challenges that lay ahead. Having accumulated six years of experience and extensive learning in this field, I was able to reassure them that everything would be manageable.

I've heard the phrase 'poorly controlled diabetes' way too often when it comes to patients. But guess what? There's always a chance to step up and make better choices for yourself every single day! That's why this blog exists!

So, we recently treated ourselves to some pizza over a couple of days—not exactly the best choice for diabetes, but hey, when you're entertaining kids and their parents, you need some tasty food! This led to my husband's blood sugar hitting 20, which isn't great for him. He's usually super careful about managing his diabetes, but he knows these things can happen... just not often! We obviously want to handle it better next time. As an RN, I hope to see more patients with their diabetes well-managed!

Ingredients

3 x super ripe bananas

1/2 - 1 cup dark choc chips

1 cup almond flour

3/4 cup plain flour ( can tweak this to you liking by adding potentially less plain flour and more almond flour - keeping in mind it may be more crumbly )

2 tablespoons vanilla essence

1/2 cup brown sugar (could even decrease this to 1/4 cup given the natural sweetness of the bananas!)

1 tea spoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter (unsalted)

1 tablespoon corn flour

Method

1. Add flours baking soda and together in a bowl

2. In another bowl cream butter bananas and sugar together. Add vanilla essence .

3. Add all together in one bowl together with choc chips and stir!

4. Chill the dough for 15 mins (optional)

5. Place baking paper on an oven tray and spoon dough to create blobs on the tray. Press down with fork . Make cookies to whatever size you like! We actually prefer smaller cookies that giant ones.

6. Bake in oven (around 190 degrees Celsius) for about 10 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and leave for about 15 minutes to cool

8. Serve up to anyone!

Conclusion

These cookies are an absolute hit! They disappeared in minutes once my household got a taste of them! Not only are they super easy to make, but they're also incredibly delicious with healthier ingredients. We all deserve a treat now and then, and if you're looking to indulge with less guilt, these are perfect for a late-night snack with a cup of tea!

Wow, the first batch I whipped up had 1.5 cups of almond flour, and let me tell you, it tasted absolutely incredible! The only catch was the consistency—it was a bit crumbly and tended to fall apart. But guess what? That didn't stop my family from devouring every last one! If we want to improve, we have to think creatively, right? So, I stuck with the almond flour (because it's always a fantastic choice for managing diabetes) and added some plain flour. This tweak made a world of difference—now they're super easy to pick up and enjoy!

Said left over bananas!

Last night was a bit of a wild ride with those cookies (maybe had a few too many!), plus dinner and a workout mixed in, which sent glucose levels all over the place. Had a low around midnight, but this morning things are mostly back to normal! Dealing with diabetes is always up and down, but making better choices each day really helps!

Get excited about bananas! A groundbreaking 2025 study reveals that different parts of the banana plant hold incredible potential for managing diabetes! Dive into the research here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40011287/.

Who knew overripe bananas, often dismissed as unattractive and low quality, could be a treasure trove of natural sweetness and dietary fibre, offering fantastic benefits in bakery products? A 2020 study reveals just that! I recently stumbled upon this fascinating research about chocolate cookies crafted with the natural sweetener from overripe bananas, exploring its nutritional perks and impact on the glycemic index—how amazing is that! The study is packed with exciting insights, showing that bananas make an excellent sweetener for cookies, offering nutritional and health benefits and creating lower GI options—fantastic news for those managing diabetes! https://www.emerald.com/bfj/article/122/10/3165/52486/Effect-of-overripe-banana-in-developing-high

Here's another look at continuous glucose monitoring, this time over 90 days, and it's looking better than the last 3 days! 68% - not too shabby! There's definitely room to get better, but hey, that's life.

As I've mentioned before, I've been seeing so many patients with high blood glucose levels who aren't really focusing on managing them! Each case is unique, of course, and I'm definitely not here to judge—just to encourage everyone to make healthier choices for a brighter future for ourselves and our children!

Spiral out ...