Who says you can't have cookies for breakfast? These bite-sized treats are filled with mashed banana, rolled oats, and chopped walnuts. Serve with a cold glass of milk to start off your morning or set them out for a satisfying after-school (or after work!) snack. Adults and kids alike will be smitten by the soft, chewy texture and warm, spiced flavor.
It All Starts With Ripe Bananas
Anytime you are baking with bananas it is important to wait until they have reached peak ripeness. Bananas at the grocery store are often greenish-yellow and slightly under-ripe. These bananas are easy to peel and make a great snack on their own, however, they have not yet developed the level of sweetness that makes them great for baking.
Deep yellow bananas with brown spots on the skin are best for baking. They might even have become too soft to peel and eat — and this the perfect time to use them in recipes. The more spots you see, the riper the fruit has become. In fact, eventually, the entire outside of the banana will turn brown.
If you get a craving for baked goods made with bananas but your bananas aren’t quite ripe enough, try one of these methods to ripen them more quickly. Sometimes it is easier to find speckled, ripe bananas at corner convenience stores or local bodegas, rather than large grocery chains. Bananas sell quickly at larger stores so they don’t remain on shelves long enough to begin to ripen.
Tip
Approximately 3 bananas will yield 1 cup of mashed banana.
The Best Type of Oats to Use for Baking
Walk into the breakfast aisle at the supermarket and you’ll easily encounter a whole shelf full of oats. When it comes to baking, we recommend good old fashioned whole rolled oats. These oats hold up well when baked, adding a nice chewy texture the cookies.
Don’t Skip Chilling the Dough
This recipe calls for popping the finished cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. While it's tempting to skip the step, chilling the dough stops it from spreading too much as it bakes. That's not only important for achieving the ideal chewy texture, but also helps the dough hydrate and become more flavorful.
Get Creative With Add-Ins
Coarsely chopped walnuts are added to these cookies, giving them a banana bread-like flavor and texture, but you can add other ingredients, such as:
- Dried fruits
- Chopped pecans
- Shredded coconut
- Chocolate chips
Just be mindful of not adding too much or else it'll overload the dough.
“These banana oatmeal cookies are an absolute delight! Because they’re soft and chewy, they feel more cake-like and reminiscent of banana bread, but in cookie form. My four-year-old instantly devoured three. The addition of ground nutmeg adds a lovely aroma and complexity that makes it delicious for adults, too. I used my trusty OXO cookie scoop to portion the dough and yielded exactly three dozen cookies, more than enough to enjoy with my family and share with friends.”—Patty Lee
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon salt
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3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
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1 cup sugar
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1 large egg
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1 cup mashed ripe banana (from about 3 ripe bananas)
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
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1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Set aside.
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In another large bowl, beat the softened butter, sugar, and egg until light and fluffy.
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Beat in the mashed bananas and vanilla until smooth.
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Gradually stir in the flour mixture and the rolled oats into the banana mixture until well combined.
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Stir in the walnuts. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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Drop batter by rounded tablespoon, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Remove to a wire rack to cool.
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Serve and enjoy with a glass of milk!
