Cookies that give off banana bread vibes but take a fraction of the time and are stuffed with plant based protein and fats!! They’re moist in the center, crisp on the outside with a bit of a chewy bite and a perfect crumb. Yes please, for breakfast, snacktime, dessert….and a batch in the freezer too!
I perfected this easy cookie recipe while my kids were still in grade school and I was competing against the unknown “trade” in the lunchroom. It took many tries to make a cookie tasty enough to compete while still keeping refined sugar free, vegan and gluten-free. Here I am, years later keeping a batch in the freezer, at all times, so I can send them home with my kids as a healthy grab and go snack…and these banana bread cookies now compete against the packaged and processed junk….and they’re winning!
Given the choice, if I had the time, I’d usually make a vegan tahini banana bread, or maybe a batch of dairy-free muffins with my ripe bananas…but I love that these delicious cookies are ready in under 30 minutes and totally satisfy the craving for banana bakery products.
Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate Chips and Walnuts: I debated listing these ingredients under “optional” but honestly, they’re the best part (in cookies and in banana bread IMHO) and who’s really opting out?
- Applesauce: either buy organic individual ½ cup servings to have on hand for baking or make a batch of my 3 ingredient applesauce and freeze in ½ cup molds so you always have this vegan baking staple available.
Step by Step
Preheat oven to 350 and line a large rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of parchment or a reusable silicone baking mat.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, use a fork to mash banana until smooth, without chunks.
Add applesauce, maple syrup and almond butter to the mashed banana.
Continue to mix wet ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Next add oats, chia seeds and cinnamon and mix until fully combined.
Mix chocolate chips and walnuts into the batter. Use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop batter onto prepared baking sheet. You should get 24 cookie dough balls.
Flatten the dough balls with a fork and then bake in preheated oven for 18 minutes.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Save money: buy walnut pieces or halves instead of the whole nuts since you’ll be chopping them anyway.
- Leave cookies in the oven for 20 minutes, rather than 18 for a crispier cookie.
- If your bananas aren’t super ripe or your almond butter isn’t of drippy consistency, then use your immersion blender to combine the wet ingredients before stirring in the dry ingredients by hand.
Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe, please consider a five star rating below and leave a comment. Also, please share your photos on instagram by tagging me @dkhealthcoach and using the hashtag #debraklein
📖 Recipe
Vegan Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 medium ripe banana about ½ cup mashed
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ½ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1.5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup mini dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or silpat mat.
- Mash bananas in large bowl until you can't see any chunks. Mix in applesauce, almond butter, and maple syrup until smooth and creamy. If you're not able to do this with a fork, use an immersion blender.
- Stir in oats, chia seeds and cinnamon. Beat until well incorporated. Gently mix in chocolate and nuts.
- Place a heaping tablespoon (or use a small cookie scoop) of batter at a time onto baking tray and press gently with a fork to flatten.
- Bake 18 minutes or until beginning to brown. If you’d like a crispier cookie, bake for 20 minutes.
- Store in airtight container room temp for 5 days, refrigerator 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Nicole
These are great! I only baked for 11 min and that was perfect – we like a softer cookie. Will be making another batch soon!
Debra Klein
Yay….so glad you enjoyed these cookies and were able to make that adjustment.
Barb Ribner
the directions include mixing in cherries – but cherries are not mentioned in the ingredients….
Debra Klein
Ooh….good catch. Thank you. The original recipe had dried cherries in it, but when I recently updated the recipe and photos, it was difficult to find dried cherries without sweetener or sulfites. I decided if I couldn’t easily get the quality ingredients, then many of you would have the same issue so I omitted them in the update. I have now updated the recipe card to reflect that decision. Thank you for pointing it out to me.
Denise
Bananas are such different sizes. Can you give an approximate cup measurement or weight? Thanks!
Debra Klein
Very good point. I buy medium sized bananas and they are usually about 1/2 cup mashed….depending on how long you work it, because the volume shrinks! I don’t usually give weight measurements because so many don’t have a scale. I will update the recipe card to indicate 1/2 cup and will weight it the next time I make a batch to update with that information as well.
Debra Klein
Thanks so much. I love the way you were able to make this work well for you! I love dried cherries….going to try them next time.
susan H
These wholesome cookies are delish and provide the satisfaction of having a treat without the guilt. I love the combo of flavors: the nuttiness from the oats and walnuts, the hint of banana and the depth of the dark chocolate. I baked these at 350 instead of 375 because I like a chewier texture and used unsweetened cherries (instead of cranberries) because I had them on hand from making the yummy granola bars on this site. Thanks for another great recipe.