Banana Nut Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan, Oil-Free)

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. 

If you need more inspiration for using up ripe bananas, I also have recipe for vegan banana bars with chocolate chips. They taste like mini banana bread loaves! For more oat based recipes try carrot cake bliss balls, apricot energy balls, or raisin oatmeal bars.

Substitutions

• Try pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to replace walnuts for a nut-free version.
• Add chocolate chips instead of walnuts.
• Substitute maple syrup for agave syrup.

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 your slightly damp hands to press down and shape them to resemble a cookie. 
• The cookies don’t spread much.
• If your mashed bananas only measured out to ¾ cup, check the cookies for doneness at 13 minutes.
• If you prefer the cookies for breakfast and a little less sweet, leave out the maple syrup.

Instructions

In a large bowl mash 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.  I recommend using a little water to get your hands damp to prevent sticking or a fork to lightly flatten the cookies.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for about 13-15 minutes.  The tops should be firm to the touch. The banana nut oatmeal cookies will firm up on the outside but not brown so they’ll still be soft on the inside.

Do Frozen Bananas Work?

Thawed frozen bananas also work.  To adjust the banana walnut oatmeal cookie recipe to use thawed frozen bananas, start by mashing them with the liquid they created when they are thawed.  The dough will probably be a little wetter since the thawed bananas have more liquid. 

If the dough is too wet add a tablespoon of oat flour at a time to soak up excess liquid.  The cookies will most likely need to be baked for a couple of minutes longer. 

Storage

• The banana walnut oatmeal cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days, or stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Baked cookies can be frozen, just thaw them in the refrigerator before enjoying them.  To prevent the cookies from freezing together, first freeze them separately on a baking tray. Once frozen place them into a freezer-safe container. 

Related recipes

• Vegan banana bars with chocolate chips (oil-free)
• Vegan peanut butter cookie bars (oil-free)
• 2 Ingredient chocolate peanut butter fudge
• Vegan snickerdoodles
• Chocolate-covered cookie dough bites
• Raisin oatmeal bars

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

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