Why this Recipe Matters
We always seem to end up with extra bananas on the counter, which is exactly how these Banana Oat Cookies came to be. With Mikey off his smoothie kick, there were spotted bananas everywhere.
Haunting me…
Don’t throw us away.
That’s reckless. What will you make with us?
My inner monologue answered back: Fine. I’ll make banana bread with chocolate chips on Saturday when the tasters are home.
By Saturday, six perfectly spotted bananas were still sitting on the counter, ripened to brown perfection. I poured buttermilk into a measuring cup and pulled eggs from the refrigerator to come to room temperature.
Meanwhile, a “taster” strolled through the kitchen.
“Can you make cookies?”
“No, I’m making banana bread.”
Cue the exaggerated sigh.
My inner monologue continued:
Seriously? Don’t do both, Sara—they can eat banana bread. You’ll be in the kitchen all afternoon.
But it was raining, and I only needed five bananas. One extra banana sat there daring me to change my mind.
Eh, whatever. I’ll make both.
A cookie with mashed bananas? I have banana chips and quick oats about to expire.
Next, I pulled out my Professional Cooking textbook from school and flipped through the index. No banana cookies—just oatmeal raisin.
Eh-Close enough.
I skipped the raisins, adjusted the sugars for moisture, and aimed for soft and chewy—not thick or chunky.
Three test batches later…
Introducing Banana Oat Cookies.
Prepare Your Taste Buds
These Banana Oat Cookies bake up soft and chewy with a tender crumb from the mashed banana and pockets of melted, chopped chocolate throughout. The oats add just enough texture without making them thick or dry, and they’re especially good when enjoyed warm with a cup of coffee.
Most of my Saturday tasters were more than happy to keep reaching for another. Well… almost all.
Cooper took a bite, paused, and then politely announced:
“I’m not a fan—it’s the nuts.”
Me: “There aren’t nuts. There are oats. Is it the oats you don’t like?”
He tilted his head, gave me a reassuring smile, patted my shoulder, and said:
“Yeeeaaah, it’s the oats. I’m sorry I just don’t like the cookie, buuuuut I love ya, Mom.”
Then his little hand tossed the rest of the cookie into the trash and he ran off—there was Fortnite to be played.
The rest of us, though, loved them and definitely ate far too many while testing. If you have a few brown bananas on the counter, this is a good place to use them. And if banana bread is more your style, you can always try my Confetti Banana Bread recipe next.
(Thanks for the honesty, Coop. Your ability to say exactly what you need to say—with true honesty while still being kind—is one of the things I admire most about you. It’s good to know you’ll love me despite your disappointment in this batch of cookies. Love, Mom.)
Banana Oat Cookies
Soft, chewy banana oat cookies made with ripe bananas, oats, and chopped chocolate. Finished with banana chip crumbles and sea salt flakes for extra texture and flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole over-ripe banana, mashed
- 2 whole eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon banana extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (such as Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bar Semi-Sweet Chocolate)
- 1 cup milk chocolate, chopped (such as Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Giant Bar)
- 1/4 cup banana chips (such as sweetened banana chips)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes (such as Maldon )
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two half-sheet trays with parchment paper.
- Prepare the banana chips: Add banana chips to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.
- Chop the chocolate: Chop the chocolate bars with a large knife and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars: In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, cream butter and sugars on medium speed for about 1 minute until combined.
- Add banana, extracts, and eggs: Mix in the mashed banana on low speed until just incorporated. Keeping the mixer on low, add extracts, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate: Stir the chopped chocolate into the dough until evenly distributed.
- Portion the dough: Scoop 3 tablespoons of dough and roll between your palms to form rounded balls. Place 6 dough balls on each prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced.
- Bake: Bake for 8–10 minutes, rotating the trays after about 5 minutes, until the edges are just golden and the centers are set but not fully browned.
- Finish and cool: Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the ground banana chips over the hot cookies. Press lightly so they adhere, then finish with sea salt flakes. Let cookies set on the sheet pans for 2–3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Sea salt flakes vs. coarse sea salt: Sea salt flakes have a delicate crunch and are pyramid-shaped, making them ideal as a finishing salt for both texture and visual appeal.
- Flour choice matters: Different types of flour contain varying protein levels. For this recipe, I use Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour for consistent structure and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 267
- Sugar: 19.5 g
- Sodium: 123.7 mg
- Fat: 16.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
- Cholesterol: 28.1 mg
Handy Hints
- Use all-purpose flour. I use Gold Medal for the right balance of structure and tenderness.
- Choose light-colored baking sheets. They absorb less heat and help prevent overly browned bottoms. I prefer Nordic Ware aluminum half sheet pans.
- Use a large cookie scoop (about 3 Tbsp). This creates uniform portions without rolling dough by hand.
- If cookies spread too much, reshape them immediately after baking. Use a spoon to gently push the edges back toward the center.
- Finish with sea salt flakes. Flake salts such as Maldon add a light crunch and visual appeal.
- Banana chip crumbles are optional. They add extra texture and flavor if you have them on hand.
- Have extra oats on hand? My Homemade Granola is another simple way to use them for the week.
Make-Ahead Tips
- Refrigerate dough up to 48 hours. Portion into dough balls first to streamline baking later.
- Freeze portioned dough for longer storage. Flash-freeze on a lined sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer bag.
- Bake from frozen or thaw overnight. Add 2–3 minutes to bake time if baking straight from frozen.
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