Description
These healthy banana oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and naturally sweetened with overripe bananas and honey. The simple base recipe uses just 3 ingredients, but you can customize them with chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, or coconut. They’re perfect for using up brown bananas and make a wholesome breakfast or snack that kids and adults love. Ready in just 20 minutes with minimal cleanup!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 3 overripe bananas (about 1¼ cups mashed)
- 2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups quick cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Optional Mix-Ins:
- ½ cup chocolate chips (or shredded coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or chopped nuts)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Don’t skip the parchment—these cookies can be a bit delicate when warm!
In a large mixing bowl, mash your bananas until they’re mostly smooth. A few small lumps are totally fine—it adds character! The riper your bananas, the easier this step will be.
Add the honey, egg, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Stir everything together until well combined. The mixture should look smooth and slightly glossy.
Add the quick cooking oats, ground cinnamon, and fine sea salt to the bowl. Stir until everything is evenly mixed and the oats are fully coated. The dough will be thick and sticky—that’s exactly what you want!
If you’re using chocolate chips or any other mix-ins, fold them in now. Stir gently until they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon or a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Place each scoop on your prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. These cookies don’t spread much, so you can fit quite a few on each sheet.
Bake in your preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are just set and the bottoms are very lightly browned. Don’t overbake—you want them soft and chewy, not dry!
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. This is important! They’re fragile when hot and need time to firm up before moving them.
After 5 minutes, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Or, you know, eat a few while they’re still warm.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the dough. Once you add the oats, stir just until combined. Overmixing can make the cookies tough.
- Press the dough down slightly before baking. These cookies don’t spread much on their own, so a gentle press with the back of your scoop helps them bake more evenly.
- Want crispier cookies? Bake for an extra 2-3 minutes and let them cool completely on the pan.
- Making them egg-free? Use a flax or chia egg (1 tablespoon ground flax or chia mixed with 2.5 tablespoons warm water, let sit for 5 minutes). The texture will be slightly denser but still delicious.
- Don’t have quick oats? Pulse regular rolled oats in a food processor a few times to break them down a bit. They’ll absorb the moisture better that way.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American