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OMG!!! I so want a bite of that cookie. Don’t you?!
I am so obsessed with these healthy chocolate oatmeal cookies!!! I could eat them multiple times a day, every day, and never get sick of them.
They are soft, so chocolate-y and, fudgy, perfectly sweet, and studded with chocolate chips, and chewy oats. Even though they are a healthier cookie, they satisfy my sweet tooth and craving for baked goods like crazy.
A few years ago I shared a recipe for banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies – they taste like banana bread, so good! I make them quite often, whenever we have bananas that got a little too ripe on us. They’re delightful.
One day I was making the banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies while I was having an intense craving for chocolate. So, I figured why not throw some cocoa powder in there. Along with some maple syrup to round out the added bitterness of the cocoa powder.
OMG OMG OMG!!! The results were heavenly. I turned my favorite, easy healthy cookie into a delicious fudgy chocolate-y bites of heaven.
I immediately knew that I owed it to the internet world to share the recipe here on the blog!
You’re welcome.
Ingredients for healthy chocolate oatmeal cookies:
- super ripe bananas – ripe enough to make banana bread, kind-of-ripe.
- natural nut butter, or seed butter – almost any kind you like will work here. Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, or tahini paste (sesame butter).
- pure maple syrup – just enough to add some extra sweetness to bring out the chocolate flavors.
- vanilla extract – can’t have a cookie, even a healthy one, without vanilla. The best!
- kosher salt – just a pinch to bring out the flavors.
- cinnamon (optional) – I always love cinnamon with chocolate, compliments it so well.
- cocoa powder – To make these cookies chocolate-y. So good!
- quick cooking oats – these are the “glue” for the cookies. They sort of “melt” into the batter making them really soft.
- old fashioned rolled oats – I love the chewy texture the rolled oats add.
- chocolate chips – I mean what’s a chocolate cookie without bites of chocolate chips in it?!
- flaky sea salt (optional) – if you want to make these cookies feel a little fancier, just sprinkle on a little finishing sea salt. Totally optional.
That’s it! That’s all you need to make a healthy cookie that makes you feel as good as it tastes.
A note about the oats: you can use all of one kind of oat if that is what you have on hand. Honestly, I mostly keep quick cooking oats on hand just to make these cookies. because the texture of the combo of the two kinds of oats is ideal. However, either kind of oats will still give you a very tasty cookie!
How to make healthy chocolate oatmeal cookies:
In a nutshell:
- mash bananas.
- mix everything else together until a dough forms.
- scoop cookies onto baking sheet. Press down cookies a little.
- Bake for 10 minutes!
Totally low maintenance cookies!
You are one bowl, and about 20 minutes away to a delightful chocolate cookie!
YES!!!
Why these chocolate oatmeal cookies are healthier?
They’re:
- sweetened using banana and maple syrup (plus the sugar that’s in the chocolate chips).
- packed with fiber from the oats
- low in fat – only 4 grams
- they include wholesome, fresh ingredients – nothing is overly processed.
See why I make these cookies so often?!
Reasons why you’ll love these healthy chocolate oatmeal cookies:
- they taste fudgy and delicious – isn’t that what we’re here for?
- they are flourless and gluten free
- they are easy to make vegan and dairy free
- no butter, making them low in fat
- they are egg free
- they are super easy to make – only 1 bowl, and 20 minutes.
- they are packed with fiber, and low in sugar so they won’t spike your blood sugar as easily
- they are healthy enough for a snack cookie, a breakfast cookie, and tasty enough as a dessert cookie.
So many reasons you’ll want to keep making these cookies over and over again!
Do these chocolate oatmeal cookies taste as good as a cookie made with eggs and flour and butter?
The short answer is no. Because there is no flour in these cookies they aren’t cakey like a traditional cookie. And they aren’t buttery like a traditional cookie is.
That being said. I think they are in their own category of delicious baked goods.
In my opinion they are certainly sweet enough to satisfy my cookie craving for the in between moments of those more indulgent, true desserts. They are rich in chocolate, fudgy, soft, and a little chewy from the rolled oats.
In conclusion these cookies feel like a treat to my mind, without making my body feel like I just ate a super sugary, fattening cookie.
Does that make sense?!
Regardless, I think you will love these cookies. They are approved by my husband, and my parents. That’s saying a a lot, because my Dad LOVES cookies! Okay, he just loves sweets in general.
I used to call him the cookie monster when I was a kid lol.
Healthy chocolate oatmeal cookies are great when they’re cold, or room temp for several days, but they are exceptionally good when they are warm from the oven.
Next time you have bananas starting to brown on your counter make these cookies. I promise, you won’t regret it!
When you do make them come back here and leave a comment below, along with a star rating. I enjoy hearing from you, and this helps to support my blog so that I can keep making yummy recipes (including all the chocolate ones), to share with you. Thanks, friends!
More healthy sweet treats/snacks for you to love:
- banana peanut butter oatmeal snack cookies
- no bake brownies with chocolate frosting
- favorite black bean brownies
- no bake carrot cake balls
- peanut butter and jelly energy balls
- healthy turmeric chocolate snack bars
- healthy peanut butter raspberry bars
Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (Flourless)
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 19 to 20 cookies 1x
- Category: dessert, snack, breakfast, cookies, baking, healthy
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, egg free
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Healthy chocolate oatmeal cookies are the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth. Soft, fudgy, chocolate cookies that are vegan, gluten free, naturally sweetened, and made using a few wholesome ingredients
Ingredients
- Scant 1 cup overly ripe bananas – measure after mashing (about 2 to 1/2 bananas)
- 1/4 cup natural nut butter, or seed butter (see notes)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- optional: 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (see notes)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I like using a mix of mini and regular, but either work)
- optional: flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Prepare: pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- Mash the bananas: Peel 2 of the very ripe bananas and add them to a large mixing bowl. Use a potato masher, or a fork to mash the banana until it’s semi-smooth, some lumps are okay. At this point measure your mashed bananas, you want scant 1 cup, or 1 cup of mashed banana. If your bananas were on the smaller side then add another 1/2 of a banana.
- Add the remaining wet ingredients: Stir in your nut, or seed butter, of choice, along with your maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract, until everything is well combined.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Stir in the quick cooking oats, rolled, oats, and chocolate chips, or until everything is well combined and a thick batter forms.
- Scoop the cookies: Measure out about 1.5 tablespoons of the batter into round cookies and place them on the baking sheet. I like to use a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons) to make easy, quick work. Use a spatula to press down on the cookies slightly – they don’t naturally spread out when cooking. Sprinkle each cookie with a little flaky sea salt, if desired.
- Bake: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until the cookies look dried out on top.
- Cool & serve: Allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Once they have cooled enough to handle you can enjoy the cookies warm. They are SO GOOD when they are fresh from the oven!
- To store: Once the cookies have cooled completely transfer them to an air tight container and store them on the counter for up to 3 days, and in the fridge for up to 7 days. The cookies are also really good at room temp, or cold, but they are an extra treat when they are fresh from the oven. Since they are good leftover they are the perfect treat for packed lunches etc.
Notes
Nut butter: You can use any kind of natural nut butter, or seed butter you like. The only ingredients that should be in your nut butter are the nuts and maybe a pinch of salt, no extra oils necessary. I used tahini paste (sesame seed butter) in my cookies and love it. I think peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter would all be great options here.
Oats: I like using the combo of the quick cooking oats and the rolled oats. The quick cooking oats sort of “melt” into the cookie providing a nice soft texture. While the rolled oats provide bites of texture that are nice. You can use all of either kind of that’s all you have on hand. Just keep in mind that the texture may vary from what is pictured in my post.
Gluten free: To keep these cookies gluten free make sure to use certified gluten free oats.
Dairy free/vegan: to make these cookies dairy free/vegan make sure to use dairy free/vegan chocolate chips.
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