Sweet Potato Oatmeal Cookies

A mother will always figure things out. This recipe is one that Kelly came up with, not as a way of chasing some abstract thought in her head of what a cookie should be, but out of necessity and ingenuity. Let me explain.

Our two year-old, Charlie, was refusing to eat anything except sweets. As any parent will know, this sort of toddler hunger strike is not broken through force: a two year-old child would rather go hungry—and increasingly more irritable and tired— rather than eat something they don't like. The parent's dilemma in this situation is that you can't just give in and allow your child to subsist on candy and cookies. Unless, of course, those cookies are extraordinarily nutritious.

Kelly whipped up a batch of cookies without flour or sugar. These delicious, fluffy cookies are made with sweet potatoes, oats, dates, and raisins— a perfectly sweet combination that made our picky eater happy without derailing our intention of giving him balanced, healthy meals.

We thought these cookies were so perfect as a healthy, sweet treat that we wanted to share them with everyone. These cookies can easily be dessert or a midday snack without ever making you feel guilty about their nutritional value. These are a superfood that will deliver essential vitamins and minerals, even if you need to add sprinkles to the recipe to make a toddler happy.

Sweet Potato Cookies:

Equipment:

— large mixing bowl

— steamer bin

— blender, or immersion blender

Ingredients:

— 2 large sweet potatoes

— 1 cup dates

— 2 tbsp honey

— ½ cup peanut butter

— ½ cup oats, plus 1 cup oats

— ½ cup chia seed

— ½ cup flax seed

— ½ tsp cinnamon

— 1 pinch nutmeg

— 1 pinch salt

— 1 cup water

— ½ cup raisins

Sweet Potato Cookies Recipe:

— Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into discs, roughly ½" thick. Cut the ends off each potato and discard them.

— Steam the potatoes until soft, roughly 15 minutes. You want to be able to easily run a fork through each disc, but they should still retain their shape and texture. Remove the potatoes from the heat and place in the fridge to cool for a minimum of 45 minutes.

— Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

— Once the potatoes are cooled, place them in a large mixing bowl with all ingredients except 1 cup of oats and the ½ cup of raisins. Using the immersion blender, blend until smooth. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a blender, though you will need a blender with a large cup.

— Add 1 cup of oats and the ½ cup of raisins to the sweet potato batter and stir by hand with a spoon until the oats are incorporated into the dough.

— Using a dinner spoon, scoop dough out of the bowl and place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. For best results, roughly shape the dough into discs. These cookies will maintain the shape they're formed into, unlike traditional flour cookies.

— Bake the cookies at 375 for 20 minutes.

— Let the cookies cool to room temperature, and then enjoy!