These banana oat chocolate chip cookies will be your new favourite way to use up overripe bananas. This recipe produces thick and chewy cookies that are soft on the inside and have crispy edges. If you love banana bread, you are going to love these cookies!
These cookies are basically just banana bread but with the chewiness of oats and the deliciousness of chocolate chips. They are soft in the middle with beautifully crispy edges and are perfect when you want to eat something delicious but also want it to fill you up on more than just sugar.
I don’t know whether this could be officially considered a breakfast cookie or not but if you were ever going to get away with eating a cookie for breakfast, this would be the one.
Banana, chocolate and oats are the perfect combination, coming together to perfectly complement each other. The banana brings the sweetness, the dark chocolate pieces provide this rich, creamy bitterness and the oats are chewy and wholesome.
I had tried making this recipe before with a big failure. The flavours worked but as a cookie, it just didn’t. The biggest change I made from my failed batch to this one was reducing the quantity of flour, removing the egg and increasing the quantity of mashed banana.
By doing these adjustments, these cookies are actually vegan as written (as long as you do use a vegan butter substitute and a dark chocolate that actually is vegan), which makes sense as mashed banana is often used as a substitute for egg in many recipes.
Because we have removed any egg, these cookies are a little softer and more delicate rather than crunchy cookies which is what makes them closer to the texture of banana bread but it is also what makes them so delicious. Personally, I like them warm so the chocolate is a little melty.
This is the perfect recipe to make when you have browning bananas sitting on your kitchen bench but want something different to the old faithful banana bread. I don’t have anything against banana bread but I do make it a lot, so it’s nice to mix it up every now and then.
How to make banana oat chocolate chip cookies
These are such an easy cookie to make but I will let you know that I do recommend chilling the dough for at least 1-2 hours, so make sure you plan for that. I did try cooking them without chilling and the mixture was just a bit too sticky and flattened out too much in the oven and the extra time also allows for that banana flavour to really develop meaning you get a better tasting cookie.
So don’t skip the chilling time!
Mix your wet ingredients then mix in your dry ingredients until a sticky dough forms. Mix through your chocolate chips (or cut up dark chocolate bar as I use) and any other mixins you might like. Nuts such as walnuts or chopped almonds would be great!
The dough will be super sticky, but that’s ok. Cover the bowl and let chill.
Preheat the oven and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Get your cookie dough out of the fridge and using a cookie scoop if you have one otherwise a tablespoon is fine, and scoop out about 3 tablespoons worth of dough per cookie directly onto the sheet.
For these cookies you don’t want to try and roll them into a ball as the mixture is just too sticky for that to be efficient. Just dump the dough directly onto the tray and then lightly press into round shapes so they are even.
Bake the cookies in batches, one tray at a time to ensure even cooking for 12-14 minutes depending on your oven, or until the edges are golden and the middle is still soft but cooked through. Let cool on the tray for 10 minutes for them to firm up a bit before transferring to a wire rack.
How to store the cookies
Once cooked they will be fine in an airtight container for about 2-3 days in a cool area. If you are in a humid environment then the cookies may go sticky so it’s best to store them in the fridge.
These cookies also freeze perfectly. Just place cooled cookies in a zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, either let come to room temperature or zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds and get that warm, freshly baked cookie taste (my favourite).
You can also make the dough the day before and leave in the fridge overnight before baking. If the dough is too firm, just let rest on the bench for 15 minutes.
These cookies are big and thick and full of banana flavour. If you love banana bread then you definitely should be making these cookies!
More vegan banana recipes:
The BEST Vegan Banana Bread
Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins
Banana & Oat Bread
Banana Pancakes (Vegan, GF)
Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 mashed bananas 1 cup
- 1 cup (250 grams) dairy-free butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl mash the bananas. Add in the brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla and whisk until all combined.
- Sift in the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon if using. Continue whisking until the flour is incorporated. Add in the rolled oats and fold through the mixture with a spatula. Finally add in the chocolate chips and mix through. Cover and place in the fridge to rest for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and scoop 3 tablespoon of dough per cookie leaving a little space between each cookie. Lightly press down the dough and shape with your hands if needed so that they are even. The dough will be quite sticky but that’s ok. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until golden on the edges. The cookies will seem quite soft but will continue to firm up as they cool. Repeat this step until all cookie dough is used.
- Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Alex
These look absolutely wonderful, Sally! I just made myself a cup of coffee, and these are definitely what is missing!
Sally
These would be so perfect for that!
Megan Ellam
Oh damn these look amazing! Thanks Sally for another amazing recipe.
Sally
Glad you like them Megan!
Jaimie
These just look like they have the PERFECT amount of chew factor! Definitely trying this instead of banana bread with my next batch of overripe bananas. Awesome!
Sally
I love banana bread, but it’s always good to try something a bit different!
Sarah
Yum! I always end up with extra over ripe bananas when kids decide they don’t want them after all.
These look delicious and make a great alternative to making banana bread 🙂
Sally
I think I am your kids, because that’s exactly what happens to me haha!
Gavin Sutherland
Banana in a cookie – this is genius! Especially when my kid demands I buy bananas and decides not to eat them. I almost feel healthy eating chocolate!!
Sally
Totally!
Sylvie
Banana, Oats and Chocolate is such a great combo – especially when mixed together into a cookie! Yuuum!
Sally
Thanks Sylvie!