My Banana Oat Cookies are healthier than usual cookies but still delicious. The kids love them! The perfect way to use up spotty bananas.
One of my earliest recipes – first written around this time 4 years ago was for these banana oat cookies. They’re such a great way to use up those leftover spotty bananas.
What’s more, they’re pretty healthy too – I’ve got no qualms about letting the kids eat them for breakfast (I’m counting the chocolate chips as being good for the soul!).
Six ingredients, no resting time, no flour, no eggs or butter (you could even make them vegan if you swap the chocolate chips for raisins or carob chips).
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They’re super simple to make too. In fact, I went ahead a let Gracey loose in the kitchen for these ones:
She’s appeared in a few of my recipes vids, but this time she took centre stage and made them herself. You can check out her video in my recipe card below.
So proud of her!
Lewis has also been busy in the kitchen recently.
He made a delicious orange trifle for our family get together the other week, and a meatball and rice recipe last week – with just a little help from daddy.
I love their little faces when we’re sat around the table eating their food (and it’s by far the easiest way to get them to eat vegetables!).
When I have a stack of spotty bananas, I often love to make banana muffins or chocolate banana bread, but the kids were getting a little too used to cake in their lunch box! These cookies are a great alternative. Healthier, but with a little chocolate chip kick so it still feels like you’re being a bit naughty.
For this Banana Oat Cookies recipe, you simply need to mash a banana:
Then mix with oats and a little honey and coconut oil:
Then leave the mixture for 10 minutes so the oats can soften and soak up the flavours. Then throw in the chocolate chips and a pinch of salt and you’re ready to roll the mixture into balls. Flatten them out (they don’t spread in the oven, so no worries about cookies melding together or ending up like discs!) and put them in the oven:
The result is a cookie that is golden and a little crispy on the outside, whilst being soft and chewy on the inside:
I like to add a few more chocolate chips on top of the warm cookie once they’re out of the oven too:
That’s breakfast sorted for tomorrow!
Can I make them gluten free?
Yes – use gluten free certified oats (regular oats are often processed in facilities that process wheat)
Check the chocolate chips you’re using are gluten free too.
Can I swap the chocolate?
Yes, swap for raisins, cranberries, carob pieces, banana chips, nuts or a mixture!
How long do they last?
They last for about a two to three days wrapped in foil or baking parchment in an air-tight container at room temperature. After that they start getting softer. This recipes makes a batch of 7-8, so you shouldn’t be left with lots of cookies.
What’s the texture like?
They’re firm on the outside and soft and chewy in the centre. The texture comes from the chewiness of the oats – so it’s not like caramel chewy. You can bake them a little longer if you want them more crisp, but they won’t go fully crispy. This is because the recipe only uses a little honey, rather that sugar – which makes for a crisper cookie.
The Banana Oat Cookies Recipe:
Banana Oat Cookies a great make-ahead breakfast that just happens to be gluten free.
- 1 medium sized ripe banana peeled
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats check they're gluten free if required
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp coconut oil either soft or melted
- 1/2 cup (50g) chocolate chips check they're gluten free if required
- pinch of salt
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Preheat your oven to 170c/325f
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Place the banana in a medium sized bowl and mash it with a fork. Add the oats, honey and coconut oil and give everything a good stir until combined. Leave to rest on the counter top for 10 minutes, so that the oats can absorb the moisture from the other ingredients.
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After 10 minutes, add in the chocolate chips (reserve a few to sprinkle on once the cookies are cooked) ands the salt. Stir to combine.
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Take a tbsp. of the mixture in your hand, roll into a ball and then squash to flatten into a thick disk (approx. 1cm thick). Place on a baking tray and repeat until all your mixture is used up.
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Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
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Take out of the oven, sprinkle with the reserved chocolate chips and leave to cool.
Recipe Video
Can I make them gluten free?
Yes - use gluten free certified oats (regular oats are often processed in facilities that process wheat)
Check the chocolate chips you're using are gluten free too.
.
Can I swap the chocolate?
Yes, swap for raisins, cranberries, carob pieces, banana chips, nuts or a mixture!
.
How long do they last?
They last for about a two to three days wrapped in foil or baking parchment in an air-tight container at room temperature. After that they start getting softer. This recipes makes a batch of 7-8, so you shouldn't be left with lots of cookies.
.
What's the texture like?
They're firm on the outside and soft and chewy in the centre. The texture comes from the chewiness of the oats - so it's not like caramel chewy. You can bake them a little longer if you want them more crisp, but they won't go fully crispy. This is because the recipe only uses a little honey, rather that sugar - which makes for a crisper cookie.
.
Nutritional information is per cookie.
This recipe was first published in October 2014. Updated in September 2018 with step-by-step photos, additional tips and recipe video.
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Edward says
Great recipe and nice video. Thanks very much.
I only watched the video after I tried the recipe (why???), so instead of a quick mashing with a fork, I really creamed the banana with a wooden spoon, which made the resulting mixture really wet and sticky and hard to manage. I wouldn’t recommend this, although it did give the finished cookies quite a nice thick texture.
I see a few comments below about how “healthy” these cookies are. People need to bear in mind that they are actually pretty rich. Sure, there’s no flour or eggs, but honey is a supersaturated sugar solution that comes out at around 75-80% of the calories of sugar, weight for weight. Then we have a tablespoon of saturated fat (coconut oil), and however much sugar and fat the chocolate contains. Seeing as this only makes seven small (very delicious) cookies, if you want a healthy snack, just eat the banana and oats and leave out the rest, or alternatively try two-ingredient banana-oat cookies.
Anyway… The important thing was: nice recipe, great for an occasional treat.
Norma says
Could you use cinnamon instead of honey? Thanks
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Norma,
You could add 1/2 a tsp of ground cinnamon to the mix but you cant replace the honey. The Honey acts as a sweetener and binder for the cookie mixture.
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
Brian says
Hi Nicky
Like the recipe but can you use anything other than coconut oil
There’s a big debate whether coconut oil is good for you
Regards
Brian
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Brian,
You can replace the coconut oil with Almond Cooking Oil or vegetable Oil.
Thanks
Chris & Nicky