Low Sugar Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I've been looking for a way to get my picky one and half year old to eat a healthy breakfast that isn't limited to cheerios and apple juice.  She likes oatmeal but god forbid you try and take away an iota of autonomy from her by *gasp* spoon feeding it to her.  I have tried baking some of the oatmeal breakfast bars for babies I've seen online, but they are bit too crumbly and mushy and the taste is rather bland.  Cookies are pretty much a sure fire way to get any kid to eat so I came up with these low sugar oatmeal raisin cookies that look and taste like the real thing but are actually just a bowl of oatmeal dressed up in a cute little cookie outfit.  Even my cookie monster couldn't tell the difference and we had a very peaceful breakfast this morning sans the force feeding, screaming and food throwing.

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup ripe mashed banana

• 3 tbsp maple syrup

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup butter (softened)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 3 cups rolled oats

• 1 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, banana and syrup at medium high speed for approximately 2 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to mix on medium speed for another minute or until all the ingredients are combined.  In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon, salt, flour and baking soda with a whisk.  Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue to mix on low speed just until the ingredients are combined.  Add the oats and raisins to the mixer and mix on low speed just until combined.  Spoon two tablespoons per cookie onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes.