These easy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies are beyond simple to make with just a few ingredients! They're chewy and soft with a subtle hint of sweetness. Made gluten free and dairy free, they make the perfect healthy snack or treat to satisfy the sweet tooth.
These cookies bridge the gap between healthy granola bar and cookie and provide both nutritious ingredients and deliciousness! Kids and adults alike will love these healthy peanut butter banana cookies. They're not overly sweet with an incredibly soft and chewy texture. Like banana bread but in cookie form!
Recipe Characteristics
- Gluten free and dairy free
- Only require a few simple ingredients
- Great way to use up overripe bananas
- Kid friendly
- Known as a healthier cookie
- Perfect subtly sweet snack
Check out my chocolate chip banana bread, banana scones, and my banana chia pudding for more banana-flavored treats!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bananas - Overripe, spotted medium bananas are best. They provide texture and natural sweetness to the cookies.
- Peanut butter - I like to use the crunchy peanut butter for some added little crunch. You can use creamy style if you would like but make sure to use natural peanut butter so it's runny and thin in consistency. Any type of nut butter will work like almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or sunflower seed butter.
- Coconut sugar - Used to add some additional sweetness to the cookies. Light brown sugar, monk fruit sweetener (use half as much), or granulated white sugar will also work.
- Apple sauce - This acts as an egg in a traditional cookie recipe by binding the ingredients together. Swap with an egg or flax egg if desired.
- Almond milk - Any type of milk will work. This is just used to thin out the cookie dough slightly.
- Rolled oats - You can't have an oatmeal cookie without oats! Make sure to use old fashioned oats, not steel cut oats or instant oats.
- Oat flour - Any type of flour will work. Only a little is used to provide some structure to the peanut butter cookies.
- Chocolate chips - These a mixed into the batter to add some additional flavor. I used both mini and regular dark chocolate chips and used this dairy free brand to make this recipe completely dairy free. Feel free to use any mix in you want like chopped nuts or dried fruit.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
You will need a hand or stand mixer or a stiff whisk and a large bowl for this recipe. If making this recipe by hand, you will also want a plate and fork to mash up the bananas.
Step 1 : Mash bananas. Place the bananas on a plate and mash them up with the back of a fork until no big chunks remain. If you're using a stand mixer, you can just throw the bananas into the bowl and mix them up with the paddle attachment.
Step 2 : Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, peanut butter, coconut sugar, apple sauce, almond milk, and vanilla. Whisk well to incorporate the sugar into the ingredients.
Step 3 : Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the rolled oats, oat flour, cinnamon, and baking soda to the bowl and gently fold into the batter until the flour is 90% incorporated with a rubber spatula.
Step 4 : Add the chocolate chips. Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and gently fold to distribute.
Step 5 : Bake! Use a large cookie scoop (about 3 Tbsp) to scoop dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired and bake until the edges are golden brown.
With these cookies, you do want to take a look at the center and make sure it looks baked all the way through. Because these are soft cookies, you want a sturdy middle, not a gooey one.
Let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack before enjoying!
How to Store
Store these cookies in an airtight container. They will keep out on the counter for up to 4 days or a week in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to mash the bananas up well so there are no large chunks. This ensures that the bananas provide moisture and the right texture to the cookies.
- Use rolled oats, not steel cut oats in these cookies. Quick oats work well too.
- Let the cookies cool completely. These cookies will turn a darker brown as they cool and set. This creates a sturdier base so they can be picked up easily without falling apart.
- Switch up the mix ins to keep things interesting! See below on some options.
Mix in Variations
- Chopped nuts - walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds
- Dried fruit - cranberries, raisins, dried apricots
- Shredded coconut
- M&Ms
- Pretzels
- Protein powder (mix this in with the dry ingredients)
Frequently Asked Questions
This can happen if you use too much rolled oats or the cookies are over baked. Make sure the batter of these cookies is slightly runny and take the cookies out of the oven once the edges are brown and the middle is set.
Yes, quick oats work well in this cookie recipe. They are just smaller pieces of rolled oats so they will get softer quicker (pun intended!).
Check out these recipes for more peanut butter goodies:
PS : If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star review and comment below! Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on all tasty recipes here at The Fit Peach!
Recipe
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mashed bananas - approx. 2 overripe bananas
- ½ cup crunchy peanut butter - or any nut or seed butter
- ½ cup coconut sugar - or brown sugar
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup almond milk - any milk will work
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup oat flour - or any flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips - I used mini and regular dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Mash up the bananas on a plate with the back of a fork until no large chunks remain. If using a stand mixer, beat the bananas well with the paddle attachment.
- Add the mashed banana, crunchy peanut butter, coconut sugar, applesauce, almond milk and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Mix well with a hand mixer or stiff whisk until the sugar is well incorporated into the batter.
- Add the rolled oats, oat flour, cinnamon, and baking soda to the bowl and gently fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until the flour is 90% combined. Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and continue to fold until well incorporated.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie if desired and bake in the oven for 15 - 18 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the middle of the cookies are set. These cookies do take longer to bake than “traditional” cookies as you want the centers to be pretty well set and not underdone.
- Let the cookies cool slightly before transferring them to a cooling rack to set completely and enjoy!
Super easy and tasty. I used Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips to bring sugar down a bit but still delicious and no one could tell. Love how moist they are. A guilty pleasure without the guilt.