Banana Nut Oatmeal Cookies

These treats are sweetened with ripe bananas and maple syrup for a delightful soft banana nut oatmeal cookie.  They're made with just a few simple ingredients making them perfect for a snack or a lightly sweetened dessert.  

How to Make Banana Oatmeal Cookies

In a large bowl mash up two very ripe (spotted) bananas really well.  The darker and more spotted the bananas are, the sweeter they are.  Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the mashed bananas and stir to combine.  

Then grind up ¾ cup of rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) in a blender or food processor for 15-20 seconds, or until it turns into a powder.  The flour will help bind the oats and bananas together.  In a separate bowl stir together the oat flour, the rest of the rolled oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and chopped walnuts.

Now add the oat mixture to the banana mixture and stir to combine.

The batter will be wet and sticky, so the best way I found is to treat them like drop cookies, then shape them on parchment paper or a silicone mat into cookie shapes.  Use damp hands to prevent sticking.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for about 13-15 minutes.  The tops should be firm to the touch.

The cookies will firm up on the outside but not brown so they’ll still be soft on the inside.

Tips

• Bake on a silicone mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking to a baking tray.  The cookies do brown more on parchment paper versus a silicone mat.
• The batter will be sticky, scoop it out into mounds.  The back of a fork works great to flatten the cookies then use slightly damp hands to press down and shape them to resemble a cookie. 
• The cookies don’t spread much.
• Baked cookies can be frozen, just thaw in the refrigerator before enjoying.  To prevent the cookies from freezing together, first freeze them separated on a baking tray.  Then when frozen pop them off the tray and into a freezer-safe container. 
• The oatmeal cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• If your mashed bananas only measured out to ¾ cup, check for doneness at 13 minutes.
• Thawed frozen bananas also work. The dough might be a little wetter and may take 1-2 minutes longer to cook.

Substitutions

Try pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to replace walnuts for a nut-free version.

More Vegan Desserts

• Vegan Banana Bars with Chocolate Chips (Oil-Free)
• Vegan Cookie Bars (Oil-Free)
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites
• Vegan Snickerdoodles

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe for vegan and gluten-free banana oatmeal cookies!

Print