Back in January Mark and I first tried Barney Butter and each of us had a very different reaction. Since then, Barney Butter in it’s pure form has grown on me, but ultimately I still think it’s sweet flavor is best for baking.

Last night I decided to give my Barney Butter & Banana Cookies (based on Barney Butter Oatmeal Cookie recipe) another whirl. I was missing some ingredients (turbinado sugar and eggs) and had some new ones (agave and chia seeds), so I made some modifications.  These are amped up with chia seeds and agave and are vegan as well.

Barney Butter & Banana Butter Cookies – Take 2

Ingredients

• 1 C Oats (to make into oat flour)
• 1 C Oats 1 t Baking Powder
• 2 T Chia Seeds
• 2 Flax Eggs (2 T ground flax + 6 T water)
• 2 Mashed Bananas
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1/8 C Agave
• 1/2 C Barney Butter

Directions

1. Make the “flax eggs” by combining 2 T of ground flax and 6 T of water and leaving for several minutes.
2. Put 1 cup of oats in a food processor and blend until a flour consistency.
3. Add the chia seeds, rest of oats and baking powder to the oat flour.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the flax eggs.
5. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
6. Bake on 350 for 12-14 minutes. You can put these pretty close on the cookie sheet because they do not spread or change shape all that much.  Made about 24 cookies.

Now, which version is better? Let’s take a closer look.

• Major ingredient differences
• Old: 2 egg whites + 1/3 C Ground Flax + 1/4 C Turbinado Sugar
• New: 2 “flax eggs” + 2 T Chic Seeds + 1/4 C Agave Nectar
• Major textural difference
• Old: More solid and crumbly.
• New: Soft, almost like a soft baked oatmeal square. 
• Major taste differences
• Old: Delicious BB + Banana combo!
• New: Delicious BB + Banana combo … and chia.
• Major smell difference
• Old: Smelled like cookies
• New: Mark wants to add that these smell like cold McDonald’s French Fries

Next time: The taste was fantastic! They are wholesome and healthy, but still delicious and I really liked how the chia seeds added to the flavor and texture, however, something was just slightly off in the cookie texture department. I would follow the second recipe again, but either (1) add more oats and a fat such as coconut oil to give them a bit of cookie crumbliness; or (2) reduce the flax eggs to just one; or (3) add more oats to accommodate for the extra agave liquid. 

They were perfect crumbled over my Oikos this morning.

Conclusion: I like both versions, but the first version is probably more likely to be accepted by the masses as a cookie because the new version tastes a little healthier. If you’re looking for a more traditional cookie, try the first version. If you’re looking for something a little softer, go with this version. Let me know if you try it or make your own version!

Happy Monday Morning Everyone! I am back in New Jersey with my friend Bethany (known on Hangry Pants as “Heather’s Bestie”)! I am trying to convince her that she wants to go to the gym!  Tell her it’s a good idea.

I was really impressed by my cupcake making skills this weekend and v. excited to share, but first I want to let everyone know that Jenna is selling her Easy Weeknight Dinner e-coobook, which has about 100 easy weeknight dinner recipes and cost $10. The money raised goes toward her Team in Training fundraising, so be sure to check it out. For details on how to purchase head over to Eat, Live, Run.

On Saturday I made three types of cupcakes for my sister in law Megan to taste test for her shower as I explained in Cupcake Taste Test Part I.

I had a small incident with the Caramel Frosting for the Banana Cupcakes. It required cooking egg whites to a certain temperature on the stove, but I did not have a proper thermometer. Instead I combined the Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting with the “caramel” part of the Caramel Buttercream. It was good, but did not taste like caramel at all.

First up was Banana. These smelled so good! They were very moist and a little similar to banana bread, but the brown sugar added a new flavor element.

Next was Lemon.

Megan described these as “moist” and “bursting with lemon.” The key to the extra lemony flavor was the lemon syrup that was glazed over the top.

Finally, the class Vanilla. Also, described as delicious, but less moist than the other two. I would probably do this with a chocolate frosting next time, but Megan is not a fan of chocolate.

So what did Megan choose for her shower….

Lemon & Banana! So exciting. Can’t wait to make them again for the shower!