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Do you ever wish that you could make a banana bread cookie? You know, when those bananas have gotten all brown on you, but you really don’t wanna go make a time consuming loaf of banana bread?
Don’t get me wrong banana bread is the absolute best! Buuuuut sometimes you don’t want to take all that time to make it, right? Yet, you don’t want those perfectly overly ripened brown bananas sitting on your counter to go to waist again….or to add to the pile in your freezer.
Solution:
Make banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies!!! Banana bread meets baked oatmeal, meets snack cookies.
Best part?! They only take 22 minutes to make and only require 5 ingredients and one bowl to make them!
Bonus points if you add cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract!!! These extra ingredients are totally optional but they add a lot of flavor and are ingredients I always have on hand so I included them in the recipe as optional. Extra bonus points for the cinnamon because it helps to keep blood sugar levels stable.
Love you cinnamon!!!
The required ingredients for these banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies are simple:
- two overripe bananas (think banana bread bananas)
- peanut butter
- quick cooking rolled oats
- regular rolled oats – for texture
- mini semi sweet chocolate chips – because CHOCOLATE!!!!
That’s it! No eggs, oil, butter, or flour needed! And no added sugar (except for the chocolate chips – because CHOCOLATE!)
Cookie magic right there!
BTW I want to be clear that these banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies aren’t cookie cookies! They are soft and delicious. BUT they aren’t like a true indulgent cookie. Hence the word “snack” in the title. Buuuut they are still super delicious and perfect as a snack or a healthier way to curb a sweet tooth.
My cousin made a similar version of these banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies during our family vacation. They were a big hit. She said she makes them all of the time because she always has the ingredients on hand and loves that her kids can eat a healthier dessert. However, she said that they don’t keep well. They get dried out, so they are best eaten when fresh. I got home and made a batch myself and she was right about the leftover part.
I wanted some banana oatmeal cookies that would be good leftover for a few days partially because eating 15 cookies, even if they’re healthy, is too much for me and my husband to eat in one sitting. And also, because leftovers are my kind of meal prep.
Then I stumbled on a recipe from one of my fave you tubers, Clean and Delicious, and found her banana oatmeal cookies recipe. She explained that by using the quick cooking oats that absorb the liquid faster the cookies stayed more tender and moist. I gave it a try and fell in love!
I still wanted to get more out of these banana oatmeal cookies. I wanted them to be a little heartier, so I threw in some peanut butter for a little protein and healthy fat.
Because peanut butter + banana + chocolate = the best combo ever!!!!
Perfection. Tender, soft banana cookies that has a hint of peanut butter and studded with chocolate chips. Banana bread lovers, these are for you!
And do these banana peanut butter snack cookies stay tender when leftover for several days?! I know you’re dying to know the answer!
YES they do!
Obviously like any other cookie, they are even better eaten when they are warm out of the oven…but they do last in the fridge for 4 or 5 days without drying out.
Thank you quick cooking rolled oats!
Banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies are gluten free (use certified gluten free oats), egg free, and oil free. You can easily make them vegan and dairy free by swapping the chocolate chips for vegan chocolate chips. Also, if you can’t do peanut butter you can easily swap it for any nut butter or seed butter you like.
My fave kinds of recipes to provide are ones that are easily adaptable for many dietary needs. Three cheers for banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies!!!!
Enjoy these banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies as part of your breakfast, a snack, a packed lunch, or even a healthier dessert. No matter when you eat them they won’t disappoint.
You are only 22 minutes, and 5 simple ingredients away from making your house smell like banana bread, without actually making any!
5 Ingredient Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Snack Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 12 to 15 1x
- Category: breakfast, snack, dessert, healthy, easy
- Cuisine: gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free
Description
Banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies are the perfect way to use up over ripened bananas. They make a great snack, breakfast, or even a healthy dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 overly ripe bananas (the browner the better Like what you would use to make banana bread)
- 1/2 rolled oats (use certified gluten free if needed)
- 1 cup quick rolled oats (use certified gluten free if needed) – see notes
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (only ingredients should be peanuts and maybe salt)
- pinch salt (omit if your peanut butter contains salt)
- Optional: 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper – or lightly grease, and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: Peel and break up the bananas and place in a large mixing bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas until they are mostly mashed. Stir in the peanut butter, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract (if using).
- Mix in the oats: Add both types if oats and stir to combine. You may have to kind of smash the oats into the bananas until the oats are well incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Rest: allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes, this helps the oats soak up the liquid and the batter stick together better.
- Form cookies: Use a small cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to scoop cookies and then use your hand or a spatula to slightly flatten the cookies. You should have 12 to 15 cookies total.
- Bake: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Or until the cookies look dry on top and slightly browned on the bottom.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
- To eat: You can either eat them once they have cooled a little – they are extra good right out of the oven – or you can allow them to cool completely and store them in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Quick rolled oats: You can use all rolled oats in this recipe if you want. But I found the quick rolled oats helped to make the cookies more moist and tender. They also were better when leftover.
Extra ingredients: These cookies are super quick and simple to make. I like to add the cinnamon and vanilla extract in for a flavor boost, but you can easily leave them out for an even more simple cookie. Also, cinnamon helps to stabilize blood sugar levels – bonus!
Peanut butter: You can swap the peanut butter for any type of nut butter or seed butter. If you want a cookie that tastes more like banana bread I recommend using almond butter. You can’t taste the almond butter, like you can the peanut butter. Both versions are really tasty.
vegan/dairy free : To keep these cookies vegan make sure the chocolate chips are vegan/dairy free.
Recipe adapted from Clean and Delicious
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