I’ve got another it’s-good-for-breakfast-snack-dessert-anytime treat for you today! These whole grain banana oat cookies are seriously light (no butter or oil), seriously moist and seriously tasty. Plus these cookies are oh so easy. Just stir up the dry mixture, the wet mixture, add them together and bake. It’s cookie time! And that can definitely be anytime of day. I’ve made the mini chocolate chips optional. You may be thinking, why in the world would I not add the chocolate chips? Good point. I only recommend skipping the chocolate if you’re serving these to toddlers. Or if you want to pack these and have them not get melted while traveling. Or if you for some reason are not OK with having chocolate for breakfast. In which case, we should maybe part ways because I routinely eat chocolate oatmeal, my chocolate strawberry overnight oats and healthy chocolate pancakes. And of course, my pumpkin baked oatmeal with chocolate chips in the fall. Sometimes in the spring and summer too 😉 But back to today’s recipe. Let’s get to baking. Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make healthy banana oat cookies. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
Flour: I use white whole wheat flour, which is 100% whole grain but has a lighter consistency and taste. You can also use whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or use a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour if you prefer. Oats: Regular old-fashioned rolled oats work great here. You could also substitute quick cook oats if that’s what you have on hand. I don’t recommend using steel cut oats. Bananas: The more ripe your bananas are, the more sweetness they’ll add to this recipe. Chocolate chips: I prefer the mini chocolate chips because they scatter more evenly in the batter, but regular would probably work fine, too. You can also leave them out if you like.
These cookies are also great with a little peanut butter smeared on top. Peanut butter and banana? Peanut butter and chocolate? Peanut butter and banana and chocolate? Yes, yes and yes. You could even do Nutella. Wow. And of course – and please tell me you saw this coming from that picture above – they make excellent cookie sandwiches. Peanut butter, nutella or ice cream in the middle - let your imagination run wild! Last thing, let’s talk about storage. Once cooled, the cookies can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for 1-2 days. After that, they’re best moved to the refrigerator (like most baked goods with banana). They’ll keep an additional 3-4 days in the fridge. These cookies freeze great, too, so you can stick any extras in the freezer. Once cooled, place in a freezer-safe ziplock bag, label and date it, and freeze the cookies for up to 3-4 months. You’ll have a stash available for have a quick breakfast or snack anytime. You may want to double the recipe for this very reason. 😉 The next time you have some ripe bananas on hand, try these scrumptious little cookies. Hope you love them! Enjoy! XO, Kathryn P.S. Check out all of my recipes with ripe bananas. Flour: I use white whole wheat flour, which is 100% whole grain but has a lighter consistency and taste. You can also use whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or use a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour if you prefer. Oats: Regular old-fashioned rolled oats work great here. You could also substitute quick cook oats if that’s what you have on hand. I don’t recommend using steel cut oats. Bananas: The more ripe your bananas are, the more sweetness they’ll add to this recipe. Chocolate chips: I prefer the mini chocolate chips because they scatter more evenly in the batter, but regular would probably work fine, too. You can also leave them out if you like. Storing: Once cooled, the cookies can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for 1-2 days. After that, they are best moved to the refrigerator, where they’ll keep an additional 3-4 days. Freezing: These cookies freeze great too! Once cooled, place in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Label and date the bag and then freeze the cookies for up to 3-4 months.
