3 Ingredient No Bake Toddler Cookies - Oh Hey Let's Play www.ohheyletsplay.com.png

DISCLAIMER: I really wish I could say that I came up with this recipe all on my own but that is just not true. I found, and pinned this little gem a week or so ago originally from HERE, and just have been dying to try it. That's a great post to pin for later, btw, because the author lists out some other great snacks for traveling with kids.

So I try to tell myself that it's just the age when it comes to Kade being a somewhat picky eater and just write it off as a toddler thing. I try to completely ignore the fact that I was just as bad, if not worse, when I was growing up... in fact, a lot of people (myself included) would probably still consider me a "picky eater" though I've gotten MUCH better. ;) Trying new recipes with him is always a huge leap of faith because I have to mentally prepare myself that it could end up having been a complete waste of time, energy, and money. It's discouraging, to be honest. Maybe this is partly why kids become so picky (going down a rabbit hole here but stay with me)... we get discouraged by them turning away so many foods that we don't have the motivation or energy to keep trying. Therefore, they eat the same things over and over that we know they like. For this reason, I have to remind myself daily that it is so important to still at least TRY.

I am so excited to share this sweet little recipe with you all because Kade absolutely LOVED IT, it was so easy, and I can consider it to be a special "treat" without it being straight up candy. There are a few different ways you can make these "cookies" but I'll share what we did first.

Here are the only 3 ingredients you need:

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Graham crackers, peanut butter, and a ripe banana. Seriously you guys, that's it! You can substitute the peanut butter for any kind of almond/nut/seed butter and if you choose to, you can even add a few chocolate chips at the end. Kade doesn't really know about chocolate yet because I'm a bad mom LOL jk we just haven't really given it to him a ton because I'd like him to think of fruit as dessert for as long as possible. ;) I did, however, decide to buy the mini (those things are SO TINY) chocolate chips for these and only added 3-4 on top of each "cookie." Another way to make these cookies would be to use cinnamon graham crackers and add raisins.

All you have to do to make these yummy little treats is break down the graham crackers into crumbs (a food processor makes the most sense but if you are cheap like us you can use a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin), mash up your ripe banana, measure out your peanut butter, and then combine it all in a mixing bowl. You'll mix up all the ingredients until it becomes somewhat of a dough-like texture.

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Depending on the size of your banana and your exact measurements, you can always add a little more peanut butter or cracker if need be. Kade loved helping me mix the ingredients and could not help but dig right in and try it for himself. This was before I added any chocolate chips, and he was eventually taking literal handfuls at a time and eating straight from the bowl. In his defense, it was lunch time, and it did smell delicious.

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I used a table spoon to help scoop out each little cookie and then rolled them into balls and pressed them down a bit onto some parchment paper. The recipe we followed said to stick them in the freezer to help them hold together and really take shape. This way you can take a couple out in the morning and by lunch time they will be ready to eat! They also should be good in the refrigerator for about a week. Ever since I finished putting the cookies on the sheet and placed them in the freezer, Kade was asking if we could "make cookies" and kept saying "is it time yet?" So excited to let him enjoy these and to know how easy they were to make once we run out!

If you have a little one in your life, I hope these little treats bring them as much joy as they did mine. :) And make sure you snag a couple for yourself, too! You deserve it.

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Ingredients:
- 15 oz box of graham crackers (we only used about half of the box)
- 1/3 cup of peanut butter
- 1 ripe banana
Optional add-ins: mini chocolate chips, raisins, cinnamon

Instructions:
- Use a food processor (or a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin) to process graham crackers until they are crumbs
- Mash ripe banana
- Measure peanut butter
- Combine all 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix together until combined and a dough-like texture has been created
- Use a table spoon or a small scoop to portion out each cookie
- Roll into a ball and press down gently onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet
- Place in freezer for about 20 minutes then continue to store either in freezer or fridge in an air-tight container. Should keep in the fridge for about a week.

Remember that depending on the size of your banana and your exact measurements, you may need to add a little more peanut butter or cracker to get the "dough" to the right consistency.