These buttery soft Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are super soft and chewy with a strong banana-chocolate flavor throughout. The mashed banana provides a thickness to the cookies while the oats add a chewy texture with pockets of melted chocolate chips with every bite!
These cookies do last long and are great for a healthy snack.
Just like these banana oatmeal cookies and our Chocolate Chip Banana Bread - we love the banana and chocolate combo which is always a winner and disappears from the table in seconds.
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Why you'll love this
- These cookies are incredibly chewy just like our readers favorite Cookies and Cream Cookies. However, these chewy banana oatmeal cookies are a healthier cookie option than most, loaded with protein, fiber, and potassium.
- Pack these cookies as lunchbox snacks for the kids, enjoy them as post-workout fuel, or as a delicious breakfast treat!
- These cookies use pantry staple ingredients and can be made from scratch in little time - just under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
You'll need simple ingredients for these healthy cookies.
- Overripe Bananas - For the sweetest flavor you’ll need about 2 medium-sized bananas that are ripe, full of brown spots, and mashed. Well, any banana will work here but overripe bananas will give the best sweetest flavor.
- All-purpose flour - This is a sturdy flour that’s great for holding add-ins like raisins and nuts from sinking to the bottom. You can also use gluten-free flour though.
- Oats - Quick oats can be used or old-fashioned oats when you want a more chunky cookie.
- Butter and egg - these types of ingredients should be at room temperature as it will help to incorporate them into the cookie dough mixture better. Unsalted butter is preferable otherwise omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Sugar - I’ve used equal parts white and brown sugar. While the granulated sugar helps to caramelize the cookies and make them crisper, the brown sugar keeps them moist and chewy on the inside!
- Chocolate chips - I’ve used semi-sweet chocolate chips but you could also use milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips instead. To intensify the banana-chocolate flavor in these cookies, increase the quantity of chocolate chips to ¾ cup.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mash bananas until puree-like consistency. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine butter and sugars. Beat on low with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and bananas. Mix on low until combined. Set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, combine sifted flour and baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oats. Whisk to combine and add to wet ingredients gradually.
Add ½ or 1 cup at a time, beat on low until combined, and then continue with the next batch.
Mix until ingredients are almost combined.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Scoop 2 tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls. I like these cookies to be thick and rich but you can make smaller ones by using just 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie ball.
Arrange the cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat cookie sheet. These cookies need to be at least 2 inches apart. Don’t press them down!
Bake for 11-13 minutes (the time varies due to different ovens) until the golden brown top. By the end of baking, the cookies should be soft in the middle and have risen up slightly.
The cookies will have a quite soft center inside. Once they cool down they will set well and the texture inside remains soft, lots of banana flavor and with a creamy buttery flavor.
For the chocolate chips, I like to decorate the cookies after they have baked by pressing 4-5 chocolate chips on top of the cookies.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
Recommended Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons - measure all your salad ingredients and seasonings with those superb tools without stress! Easy to wash!
- Cooling rack
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mat
Tips
- Make sure that the egg and butter are both at room temperature as this helps them to mix much better into the cookie batter.
- You can easily double the ingredients to make an extra batch of cookies and store them away in the freezer to enjoy whenever you like.
- Always check the expiration date on the label of your baking powder and baking soda as old or expired ingredients can affect how these cookies rise while baking.
- Use a cookie scoop for ease of measuring and to ensure uniform-sized cookies that will bake evenly.
- Don’t be tempted to substitute the sugars in this recipe. They are both needed to ensure the best buttery and soft cookie. While you could technically make these cookies only with white sugar, there definitely will be a difference even though they will still taste good.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
Let the oatmeal banana cookies cool before storing them completely. Transfer to airtight container and keep at room temperature for 3-5 days or freeze for 2-3 months.
For easy freezing and handling, add layers of parchment paper between the cookies. This way you'll be able to thaw as much as you need in one go and let the rest stay in the freezer until next time.
Variations
Variations of these banana oatmeal cookies include:
- Substitute chocolate chips for raisins, dried fruit, or nuts
- Vegan cookies - You can also use 1 flax seed egg instead for the egg sub. Also, you'll have to use dairy-free chocolate chips or raw cacao nibs.
- These cookies can be made gluten-free as well. Use a true and tested gluten-free brands like Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 (with xantham gum) or King Arthur's Measure to Measure.
- The flour gives those cookies texture and holds them together well but the entire recipe can be made with just oats instead or oat flour. You can use a simple coffee grinder to break down the oats into flour (doesn't have to be very fine) and use it completely instead of the flour in this recipe or do a 50/50 ratio.
Frequently Asked Questions
The mashed banana in these cookies softens the baked cookies quite a bit compared to other cookie recipes that don’t use bananas. It’s for this reason that I suggest you allow the freshly baked cookies some time to set before serving them.
Yes! You’ll need to use a gluten-free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour and check the labels on the baking powder and baking soda to ensure that they were not packaged and stored in warehouses containing gluten products.
Compared to store-bought commercial cookies, these banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are definitely the healthier option. Yes, they do contain sugar but none of the ingredients used are artificial and most of the ingredients are actually very wholesome.
For instance, bananas are a great source of potassium which is required by our bodies to function properly. The oats provide a great source of plant-based protein and fiber - great for gut health.
Thank you so much for reading about these oatmeal banana cookies. Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have! I love reading your feedback.
Rita
More Banana Recipes
Bananas are the go-to healthy baking ingredient and besides those cookies, our kids absolutely love banana bread.
Try these delicious baking recipes next time:
- Pumpkin Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips
- Brownie Crinkle Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Roll
- Carrot Cake Muffins
- Christmas Spritz Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below. Thank you!
Oatmeal Banana Cookies With Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- ½ cup mashed ripe banana about 2 medium bananas
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 and ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups quick oats or old fashioned rolled oats for a more chunky cookie
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ - ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips ½ is usually enough but if you want to intensify banana chocolate flavor add ¾ cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Mash bananas until puree like consistency. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine butter and sugars. Beat on low with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add egg, vanilla, bananas. Mix on low until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine sifted flour and baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oats. Whisk to combine and add to wet ingredients gradually. Add ½ or 1 cup at a time, beat on low until combined, and then continue with the next batch.
- Mix until ingredients are almost combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop 2 tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls. I like these cookies to be thick and rich but you can make smaller ones by using just 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per one cookie ball.
- Arrange the cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat cookie sheet. These cookies need to be at least 2 inches apart. Don’t press them down!
- Bake for 11-13 minutes (the time varies due to different ovens) until golden brown top. By the end of baking, the cookies should be soft in the middle and have risen up slightly.
- The cookies will have a quite soft center inside. Once they cool down they will set well and the texture inside remains soft, lots of banana flavor and with a creamy buttery flavor. For the chocolate chips, I like to decorate the cookies after they have baked by pressing 4-5 chocolate chips on top of the cookies.
- Let cool in the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
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These buttery soft Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are super soft and chewy with a strong banana-chocolate flavor throughout.