Chewy Plantain Apple Cookies

A 6-ingredient cookie sounds like a compromise until you taste one. No eggs, no grains, no nuts, no refined sugar, and still soft in the middle with a little give at the edge. What makes it work is ripeness: the plantain has to be mostly yellow with real dark spots, soft enough to mash without a fight, or the dough never comes together right. That is the whole skill of this recipe, reading a plantain instead of a recipe card.

Potassium and vitamin B6 run high in a ripe plantain, and its fiber, some of it resistant starch depending on how ripe it is, is the kind of fuel linked to a calmer, more diverse gut microbiome. The apple's quercetin has been studied for a mild anti-inflammatory effect on the body, though the evidence there is still developing and worth holding loosely.

Keep a stack of these in the freezer, parchment between the layers, for the evening when something sweet is the only thing that will do. That is real mercy in the middle of a long protocol, one you built for yourself in advance.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe plantains, approximately 2 cups chopped (the skin should be mostly yellow with dark spots; fully yellow is fine, very green will not mash well)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped apple (peeled or unpeeled, chopped small)

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and roughly chop the plantains, then place them in a bowl and mash thoroughly with a fork until the texture is smooth with only small lumps remaining. Stir in the melted coconut oil until combined.

Add the arrowroot starch, salt, and cinnamon, and stir until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Fold in the chopped apple.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Flatten each cookie slightly with the back of a spoon; they will not spread much on their own.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are set and the bottoms are lightly golden. The centers will still feel soft; they firm up as they cool. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack.

These keep at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days. They freeze well: layer between parchment in an airtight container.

*Adapted from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP*