Banana and date cookie-dough bites

Combining milk and banana is an Ayurveda digestive ‘no-no’, so banana milkshakes are out – but, thank goodness, banana cookies are still in. These little cookies, with their nostalgic banana flavour, remind me of being a kid. Mixing banana with dates and desiccated coconut makes an easy dough, which is then baked into cookie shapes – filling the kitchen with a delicious aroma. Watch the children and adults alike descend on you! One of these cookie bites is the perfect way to begin your lunch.

Makes 18

2 ripe medium bananas (each around 150g, peeled)

2 tbsp butter or coconut oil, at room temperature

125g (1½ cups) desiccated coconut

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of sea salt

675g (scant ½ cup) pitted dates, chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C/gas mark 4).

2 Place everything in a food processor except the dates. Pulse until well blended. Then add the dates and pulse again until evenly distributed.

3 Divide the mixture into eighteen balls. Place them on a lined baking sheet and flatten so they are around 1cm thick and 4cm wide.

4 Bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown all over. They will still feel a bit soft, but they get crunchier as they cool. Leave on a wire rack until completely cool and enjoy!

FEELING
KAPHA

Replace the desiccated coconut with rice flour or buckwheat flour, making sure to roll them thinner so they cook well.