“Where did you go….Maaaaaax? OH MY! (Max grins – a very proud moment of autonomy for him) How did you get up there?!?! Oh dear. Climbing, now, oh boy. Well…you are good at climbing. So there’s the bright side. That’s fun…on top of teething too. Well, you’re an official toddler, now aren’t you? Where does the time go?”
That’s me, talking to myself as I chase around Max, now 14 months old. He’s quite the handful now that he’s at that ‘Curious George’ phase of life. Figuring everything out (“How does this work? Can I eat that? Oooh, shiny! LET’s GO….RUN! Then I’ll eat stuff off the floor when the mommy lady turns around..and…Oh..I bet I can get up there..that’ll totally freak mom out!”). It’s funny though, I admit. It kind of reminds me of me. I still get distracted by shiny things, so you know…I totally get it. I’m of like mind with my fourteen month old.
You now understand the lack of usual, standard, excessive posting on my part. Chasing baby means I haven’t had a whole lot of time to write and photograph, etc. I have however, been spending these last few days perfecting a few recipes for my tiny tots. Now that I’ve finally used the fruit purees that were in my freezer after he outgrew them, I was cleaning out my pantry and noticed I still had a box of baby oatmeal. Max was never really a fan of baby food. He’s a fan of frittatas and specialty pasta with peas. He’s been on table food since he got his first two teeth and hasn’t really been a fan of the packaged toddler food that Trey once loved.
Did I mention Max isn’t just teething? Plain old teething.. I can handle that, no problem. We’ve been doing teething since he was 6 months old. But these teeth are different..(insert ominous music here)..his first molars. Yeah, that’s not very fun at all. However, these cookie biscuits definitely distract both of us for a few minutes here and there inbetween milk and park and zoo trips and Tylenol and frozen teething treats…these biscuit cookies ‘for baby’ come in very handy in my life. I started making these when he was about 8 months old, though it took a couple of trials and errors to make them perfect. They’re very soft by nature. However, when toasted, they get a very rough crunchy exterior, perfect for teething, while still maintaining a soft interior.
Yep, they’re so tasty that I eat them too. They’re actually quite delicious, honestly. I’m not sure that you’d serve them to only adults. However, I bet if you did, they’d all be asking for the recipe. They just might be a little off-put if you tell them there is baby cereal in them.
They’re my son’s favorite “cookie” they’re sweet biscuits flavored with banana, vanilla, peanut butter (or other nut butter of your choice) and nutmeg. They’re delicious with berries and cream for a quick shortcake. Packed with vitamins from the cereal, which is always a bonus. You can use something other than white flour if you’d like. You can also adjust the sugar level to your liking. It all depends on how sweet the banana is and how sweet your tot likes things and how you like them to like things (the moms know what I’m saying, here).
Banana Biter Biscuits
- 1 cup flour
- 3 cups baby oatmeal cereal
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 stick butter
- 1 overripe banana
- 1 Tbsp. nut butter (almond, hazelnut, peanut, etc)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sugar (adjust to mom’s liking)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking pans with parchment paper.
Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baby oatmeal, baking powder and baking soda) in a medium bowl and set aside.
In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt one stick of butter and add in the banana. Whisk until smooth. Add in one tablespoon of nut-butter (any kind) and the vanilla extract and nutmeg. Whisk to merge ingredients evenly and remove from heat to cool. Bring to room temperature and add egg, sugar and cream. Whip with electric mixer with whisk attachment until light and smooth.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three additions, mixing after each addition.
Place spoonfuls (large enough to not choke – about 4 inches in diameter) on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown (about 25 minutes).
For Teething Toddlers: I recommend toasting these. These biscuits are very soft and crumbly and perfect for baby’s just starting table foods. However if you toast them lightly in the toaster oven, they have a very hard exterior, that’s fabulous for teethers on the go, while still maintaining a soft interior.
Thanks for your super sweet comment on my Thin mint popcorn. I have been trying to outshine the last 4 popcorns I made, so its been a process
SO happy I found your blog. Your second paragraph had me rolling on the floor laughing. (Not actually, because I rarely roll on the floor while I laugh, but you know). I have a kidlet the exact same age and he’s *just* like that- “ooooh shiny!” “look a bug” “how many fingers can i put in my nose?” “Hmm where does that hole in the toilet lead to?”
Just voted for you on Babble & following you on Twitter!
Thanks so much! I’m so happy you can relate. It’s like having a tazmanian devil in the house, sometimes, I swear! lol!
Oh, I remember the teething period. Tiffany had her first teeth when she was 4 months old and now, at almost 20 months, I think she has all her teeth.
)
But the climbing is still the “game” of the day. Let’s see if I climb here what happens and if mommy sees me
These biscuits sound like a great homemade snack. So much better than the story bought ones.
thanks for sharing Kate
these actually sound really delicious…and what a great way to use up that baby cereal. although we’re past the baby food stage (well, my son kind of by-passed baby food, too!) i’m curious and may have to try these!
thanks so much for stopping by [oomph.]!
rockoomph.blogspot.com
These kind of make me want to have a baby for an excuse….though I think I’m going to skip the excuse…
SO much better for you than those store bought biscuits!
That is so cute .. loved how you started the post ! And that cookie looks so perfect.
Ohhh I can see myself there… my youngest in 18 months and she now goes up and down the stairs, jumps on the couch and climbs on ANYTHING. She’s a handful!!! hahahaha Lovely biscuits, they look delicious!!!
What a great recipe! I can’t wait to try it out. My little girl just turned 16 months and gosh these little ones just keep getting faster and faster!!!
Yum! My kids would LOVE these! Congrats on the top 9! Woo hoo!
I wish I still had a tot to make this for…time goes so fast! I’m sure both of my kids would have loved this. Good luck with the “curious george” phase. I love so many of my kids’ ages, but from age 1 to 2 is probably one of my favorite times (despite the many mini heart attacks!).
I wonder if these will still be good after I sub out the PB for sunbutter, egg for egg replacer and butter for coconut oil or palm shorting….here’s to trying.
I think as long as you are used to the ingredients it should work out. I’ve used egg replacement products before (though I’m not sure if they were of the same variety that you’ll be using) and I have always seemed to get similar results to that of real eggs, if not even lighter and fluffier.
I had to look up sunbutter…the nut butter is just for flavor..so if you like sunbutter…add it in..if not, you can skip it.
The coconut oil should be fine and give it a nice flavor. I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work out, honestly. It might taste different, but again..if you like the ingredients, you’ll like the final product.
Great recipe, Kate! I have a teething toddler too, and she seems to be always teething! She just got her first set of molars and I know a few more are on their way. This recipe sounds great! Thanks for sharing
I am 26 and these look pretty darn good to me.
The nut butter and banana combo is a great idea. Good luck for the molar teething and the toddler “wrangling”
What a great idea! Too bad my baby is 6 now, and I don’t have baby food around! I am sure real oats would work well too – maybe just put in the food processor a little to make them smaller?
The main ingredient in the baby oatmeal cereal is Oat flour. So if you can find Oat flour, that would work out brilliantly…ground oatmeal would work just as well, though.
These would make such good berry shortcakes – love that idea! Can’t believe you didn’t go for the perfect alliteration and call your post – Banana Biter Biscuits for Babies :]
It was very tempting.
Love it! I will be making these for my little guy for sure! I kind of love saying the name of this recipe too “Banana Biters! Banana Biters!!” lol
Brilliant use for bananas. And I love that last photo, its a fantastic shot!
Aw, what a great treat for the boy!
These look great!
What a nice treat for your sweet teething boy! I love the picture of his busy self on the move
These sound great for kids and adults, I love bananas!
Mhm, I think I’d love these as well
This is a great recipe for toddlers, I will send it to my niece! How creative-nice tip for those tots that are teething. Buzz
Thanks so much!