Banana, oat and coconut sugar-free biscuits


This is a great first baking recipe for tiny hands to help with – lots of squishing possibilities, helpful tasting, pouring, scrunching and mixing, and ONLY THREE ingredients. Also fool-proof to make, even if you’re trying to prevent a toddler from simultaneously falling off the chair they’re standing on, eating all the banana and smearing dough across your back.

These make a good fall-back snack for restricted diets – basically everything-free, including gluten if you source gluten-free oats.

Makes 10, freezes well.

2 ripe bananas
3 big handfuls rolled oats
4 tablespoons porridge oats
150ml coconut milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180C / gas 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

If you’re an adult in a rush: mash the bananas, throw the oats and coconut milk in and then adjust the quantities of both (big or extra ripe bananas will make it sloppier). It should be softer than normal cookie dough, but thicker than cake mixture. Spoon small tablespoonfuls onto the baking trays and spread out into discs. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes: they’re better quite brown on top, they go crunchier. Cool on a wire rack.

If you’re a child: with your hands, squish the bananas up until they’re completely sloppy. Tip in all the oats and pour in the coconut milk and then scrunch it all together, tasting it to make sure it’s delicious enough. If you’re up to it, spoon dollops out onto the trays and flatten them, then hand over to someone who can sort the oven bit out while you lick the bowl.