These Banana, Date and Pecan Collagen Cookies are the perfect little treat to get you through the afternoon munchies. The caramel flavour of the dates is balanced by the banana, pecans and coconut flour. I already have a recipe for similar cookies featuring whey protein, but I don't eat whey anymore, so collagen it is!
I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of sneaking in extra protein wherever I can.
The beauty of collagen protein - apart from the gut-friendly amino acids it contains - is that it's a very neutral-tasting protein powder. I have tried so many protein powders at this point and so many of them have a noticeable - and sometimes nasty! - flavour that is really hard to work with.
Banana, Date and Pecan Collagen Cookies drizzled with chocolate and piled high on a plate
Collagen protein is really important because of the amino acids it's rich in - particularly glycine, glutamine and proline. These balance the high level of methionine - an amino acid found in eggs and muscle meats. So if you're an omnivorous eater, I really recommend balancing your amino acids from your usual proteins with the addition of collagen. Collagen is beneficial for hair, skin, nails and your gut.
These cookies are perfectly balanced with protein and healthy carboyhydrates. Dates, bananas and coconut all contain potassium which is essential for heart and muscle health - it's also a nutrient that can be challenging to adequately cover.
Why you'll love these collagen cookies
- their high protein content
- wonderful taste and texture
- freeze and defrost well - perfect for meal prep
- quality nutrition in a tiny package
- perfect for your Paleo or gluten free diet
I'm sure you'll love baking these as much as I do! The aroma as they bake is absolutely heavenly.
Choose one of two collagen protein cookie options:
- the original recipe is sweeter and has no coconut oil (in the first recipe card)
- an additional version which is less sweet and contains a little coconut oil (refer to the second recipe card below)
I like Zint brand collagen powder and Great Lakes is also a good option. There are so many options now that collagen is so popular.
So, choose your preference and bake away. Please tag me on social media @electricvitality when you make them!
And keep an eye out on the blog as I will be sharing more collagen recipes soon!
Option 1: sweeter, no oil
Banana, Date and Pecan Collagen Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large over-ripe bananas peeled
- 10 medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 90 g (¾ tightly packed cup) coconut flour
- 90 g (1 cup) collagen peptides protein powder
- 75 g (⅔ cup) pecan halves chopped in to small-ish pieces. Reserve some for the top.
- 1 pinch salt
- 50 g dark chocolate optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 170C/340F fan forced and line a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper.
- Soak the dates in freshly boiled water for 5 minutes and then drain well. Don't leave them too long!
- Mash the banana and the dates together until well mixed and there are no large pieces. Next add in the remaining ingredients until a cookie dough has formed.
- Next, shape the cookies by using approx. 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Place them on the baking sheet.
- Place the remaining pecan pieces on top of the cookies - gently push in to the cookie.
- Place the cookies in the oven and set a timer for 12 minutes.
- Turn the sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Cook for a little longer until light brown. These cookies can overly brown if they aren't watched closely, so be careful!
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool if you are drizzling with chocolate. To drizzle chocolate, gently melt in a double boiler or microwave and then drizzle with a spoon.
- Cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.
Option 2: less sweet, contains coconut oil
Banana, Date and Pecan Collagen Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large over-ripe bananas peeled
- 10 medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 120 g (1 tightly packed cup) coconut flour
- 90 g (1 cup) collagen peptides protein powder
- 75 g (⅔ cup) pecan halves chopped in to small-ish pieces. Reserve some for the top.
- 46 g (2 - 2 ½ tablespoons) coconut oil Equates to 46g. Use 2 ½ tablespoons for US measures.
- 1 pinch salt
- 50 g dark chocolate optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 170C/340F fan forced and line a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper.
- Soak the dates in freshly boiled water for 5 minutes and then drain well. Don't leave them too long!
- Mash the banana and the dates together until well mixed and there are no large pieces. Next add in the remaining ingredients until a cookie dough has formed.
- Next, shape the cookies by using approx. 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Place them on the baking sheet.
- Place the remaining pecan pieces on top of the cookies - gently push in to the cookie.
- Place the cookies in the oven and set a timer for 12 minutes.
- Turn the sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Cook for a little longer until light brown. These cookies can overly brown if they aren't watched closely, so be careful!
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool if you are drizzling with chocolate. To drizzle chocolate, gently melt in a double boiler or microwave and then drizzle with a spoon.
- Cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.
Notes
Hungry for more high quality recipes?
My second eBook, C’mon Gut Happy, is just what you need! Over 30 delicious plant based, gluten free recipes with evidence based ingredients to support your gut microbiome health!
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