Banana Oatmeal “Cookies”
I’d very loosely call these treats cookies. Why? The recipe is basically two ingredients, oats and bananas, plus a few add-ins. Also, it’s pretty healthy. Probably with my add-ins they’re only about 40 calories each, but don’t let that scare you. These “cookies” are actually very tasty, like baked banana oatmeal in portable form. Extremely noshable as you check your email in the morning with a cup of coffee. Kids, or at least one kid, like them too. Adam, my picky seven-year-old nephew, happily finished off two after dinner with barely any coaxing. But since calling them Banana Oatmeal Discs or Rounds isn’t going to get them any takers, let’s call them Banana Oatmeal “Cookies.” Quotes not optional.
I found this recipe on The Burlap Bag when looking for a non-banana bread recipe to use up all my overripe bananas. And being so easy, I had to try it. Since last week, I’ve made these three times and the version below is what I liked the most. I added cinnamon, sugar, salt, walnuts, raisins, and a little butter to the original recipe. I also cooked them a lot longer than suggested, 45 minutes as opposed to 15 minutes. At 15 minutes the “cookies” were very soggy, and at 40 minutes they had a bit of crunch with a slightly soft center. I think most people would have been happy with these at this stage, but I baked them another 5 minutes for extra crunch at the edges and a smaller soft center. If you don’t like raisins, dried blueberries or cranberries would work also. The only thing I wouldn’t change is the bananas. Most recently, since I was finally all out of bananas, I subbed in apples and strawberries with a few tablespoons of peanut butter. It turned out okay, but starchy bananas work best as a binding agent.
If gluten is an issue for you, these “cookies” are also gluten-free. (Check your oatmeal packaging though. Many plants don’t produce oats in a gluten-free environment.) I was looking forward to having my brother taste these “cookies” since he has a gluten-sensitivity, but by the time he came back from a business trip, I’d finished them off. Whoops, my bad. Did I mention these were highly snackable?
I hope you try them. Try to forget I called them healthy and gluten-free. Just think of them as the easiest grab-n-go breakfast “cookies” ever. Make them one Sunday evening and you’ll be set for the week if you don’t finish them by Monday.
Banana Oatmeal “Cookies”
Adapted from The Burlap Bag
Yields: 16 small cookies
Ingredients
2 large overripe bananas
1 cup quick oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
butter or oil to grease two cookie sheets
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mash bananas with oats, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and butter.
3. Mix in walnuts and raisins.
4. Drop a tablespoon of banana-oatmeal mixture on a greased cookie sheet and then flatten with the back of a spoon. (Skip flattening if you like soft cookies). To make 16 flat cookies, you’ll need two cookie sheets.
5. Bake 35 minutes. If the back of your oven tends to get extra hot, rotate midway.
6. Flip cookies.
7. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes depending on preference.
8. Cool cookies and enjoy. Cookies will harden more as they cool.
[…] are hardly considered good for you but these Banana Oatmeal Cookies fit the bill. The ingredients come together to make a yummy, healthy treat. Bananas, walnuts, oats […]
This recipe looks awesome!
Is the measurement really for 1/4 teaspoon of butter?? That just sounds odd and i don’t want to screw these up….
@Trockwood – It is odd, but it’s just a lil’ something something that I think adds a bit more flavor. You can omit it too. My first batch had no butter and it was fine. The second with butter though was better.
Can regular oats be used instead of quick oats?
@Kathy – You can, but it’ll be chewier.
Quick and easy and Tasty!!
I make these all the time but my recipe is simpler. I like texture. I keep frozen bananas on hand at all times btw so I start with them. I microwave 2 for 30 seconds, puree, add to 1 c oatmeal (any kind). Then add dash of cinnamon, blueberries and chopped pecans. Cook for 25 minutes at 350 on parchment paper. No turning, butter or salt. Pureeing the bananas holds it all together much better. Sometimes I use chocolate chips for a sweet tooth. Any dried fruit works great. I love these!! If you think of them as a cookie they will never look right to you out of the oven. Just take them out and try one after a few minutes…yum! I think they are great out of the fridge in the morning too for breakfast.
I liked them a lot! Thought of trying with applesauce, for convenience. You said you tried apples. Is that what you meant? I like having the 1c of oats, and few other ingredients.
oh, I found this one to add pumpkin! good!
http://www.theburlapbag.com/2012/09/the-autumn-2-ingredient-cookie/
@Chrissie – I turn them because they get crispier, but whatever works best for you. I tried parchment and without, and both work. You get less stick with parchment but without is crispier.
@Mel – I tried pureed apples. Applesauce would’ve worked better I think, but I like the banana combo the best. Although, pumpkin sounds interesting!
I LOVE these! So easy, quick, delicious, and good for you! I just used the bananas, salt, cinnamon, and oats and they were very tasty.
I used applesauce, molasses, coconut, vanilla crunchy peanut butter and chia seeds. I skipped the sugar, salt and butter. I did sprinkle the top with chopped almonds which gave them that crunch. They turned out great. We like soft and chewy.
I made these with stevia and coconut oil dark chocolate semi sweet chips ,raisin, pecans, bananna ,oats. They beautiful.
Hey, thanks for sharing this, love the idea! Just wondering though, my cookies didn’t brown a lot, do I just keep them in longer? They seem done after about 15 minutes, so I’m afraid of overcooking them coz they’re already quite chewy?
Gayatri – Cook longer for crunchier cookies. I bake for 35-45 mins with a flip towards the end.
[…] I was rather limited by my slightly bare cupboards but this recipe for cookies (well, to me they were more like flapjacks) was a perfect fit! Essentially […]
Just baked these. They are sooo good! I will double the batch next time.
I was so excited for these however, extremely disappointed!! Strong ripe banana flavor if you like that but I don’t. Raw I’ll never make them again
I agree with Jen. I was very excited to use my seven, ripe bananas for a couple of recipes. The first, a wonderful banana bread. The other, this one. I was very disappointed on this one. With no disrespect, the good news is – my dogs like them. So, they’ll have treats for a few days.
It was great for me I added some blueberry ground flax seed almond peanut butter with cinnamon but I left out the grease and sugar as well as salt
yum! i used 3 bananas, cut up apricots, and almond, cinnamon, …..so good, earthy, nature. not sugary or too much butter. i just love these cookies. kids need to grow up on cookies like this, not what’s on the market.
thank you!
These are good, but I added maple syrup as well…
Best. Friggin. Things. EVER. I used a teaspoon of honey and no sugar, and blueberries. No butter, no nuts, no raisins. I also used gluten free oats. let them cook for about 25 minutes, checked them, and then left them in a further 10-12 minutes when they JUST about hit a darkish brown. They hardened up incredibly but the inside is SO SO SOFT AND GOOEY. oh good Jesus lord.
I don’t know if it was my oven or not, but they started to burn around 20 minutes in. Don’t trust the 35 minutes in the recipe. But what I could salvage did taste pretty good.
i followed the directions on the recipe but used truvia (granulated stevia )
instead of sugar and cooked only 5 mins less time and they were great! next time i will get creative
I added crunchy flax cereal, pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, and a bit of peanut butter, ginger juice and ginger powder, sea salt, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and honey. It was hard to resist eating the batter. They’re in the oven now. Taking them to a pot luck, so fingers are crossed!
How long can these be stored for and how can they be stored? I mean, fridge, cookie jar or something else??
@Axl – The longest I’ve kept them is a day in Tupperware at room temperature, but they do get soft, so it’s best to eat them quickly.
Rolled oats is not gluten free..
Yeah, saw this same recipe on a different site that said to only cook them for 15-20 mins. I would recommend doing that rather than the time given here. I like my cookies to be lighter rather than dark. They still tasted okay but wish I took them out earlier!
Can you use steel cut oats? If so, how? Thanks!
Do not recommend. Too much work to throw away a burnt offering.
I basically doubled the recipe by using 3 small bananas n 1/4 cup applesauce. Added chocolate chips — guarantees the kids will at least try them haha! I had sliced almonds so I used those. They are baking right now and look really good. But I already tasted the ‘batter’ and it was delicious. cross my fingers they bake up ok. Thanks for the recipe!
These are just fantabulous!! ❤
I’ve never come across such an excellent guilt-free treat!
Since it is Halloween and I have bananas that are perfect for cooking And I have open cookie cutters I thought I would try this out. I added 1/4 tspn of mace spice to your recipe. Filled the cutter to 1/4-1/2″ high. The batter held its form as I gently pulled the ungreased cutter up. They are on parchment paper in the oven now for 35 min. I’ll probably check it in 15 min to make sure all is going well. If I could post a picture I would have. Sharon – Vista CA
These are in the oven now….I added 2 tsp of almond butter, in place of the butter, since I am sharing some with my friend who is vegan. Raisins, almond butter, cinnamon, pecan bits, pinch of salt and one tsp of brown sugar (this was the only sugar I had on hand), and of course the bananas and oats. ~~~So, I baked for 15 minutes at 350, then flipped the the trays around and cooked for 5 more minutes. Slightly crunchy outside, moist inside. They are good, but next time I’ll add a bit more almond butter. Do these freeze well or fridge only? I’m hoping to just warm them up in the microwave for breakfast and snacks.
Recipe was delicious. A bit burnt despite i did 30 minutes. I guess it depends how thick it is. I wonder how i can make it hard without making it burnt…maybe longer but lower temperature? Pls share
@Dani – Not sure about steel cut oats, if you try it, let me know!
@Eileen – Don’t know about freezing as I always eat these quickly.
All – Timing may differ depending on your oven. Mine were perfect at 35 minutes with a few check-ins every 10 minutes. Thanks!
I always try a new recipe as written then modify the second time around. These turned out awesome the way you wrote it. Taste, texture, timing. Used gluten free oats and vegan butter. Yum yum.
Just made these for the first time and love them! I used old fashioned oats instead of quick oats. Dried cherries instead of raisins. Added flax seed. Made them a bit larger and baked for only 25 minutes, so they were chewy. My husband loved them as well!
Can I cook in a microwave instead of an oven
Lovely! Thank you for sharing! I like my cookies a bit over with crispy edges so I really flattened them and they were perfect. Added some vanilla extract in there as well. Yum!
Oh and forgot – exchanged raisins for dried cranberries. Delish!
I’m tired of Banana Bread… What? Yes. These almost granola bars were so easy and delicious. Dried Michigan Cherries and Dark Chocolate added. My daughter loves them too.