Chocolate chip banana cookies is an easy overripe bananas recipe. A simple treat full of sweetness, like banana bread cookies with Old Fashioned Oats in every bite! Bake up a pan full with your fruit this weekend.
Jump To
- What are the ingredients for banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?
- Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats for cookies?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Bake Moist Cookies
- Variations
- Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies Recipe
- What is the best way to keep leftover cookies moist?
- Other banana recipes you will love
Have you made chocolate banana cookies yet? They’re a bit like banana bread cookies with fresh fruit and oatmeal too. Light and simple to make they’ve become one of our favorite new desserts.
My oldest daughter actually came up with these when we had a ton of bananas and she wanted to bake. She wanted to just make simple Bisquick chocolate chip cookies but this time homemade and with a twist.
If you follow my blog at all you know I hate to waste anything. I came up with 26+ overripe banana recipes because of this when I bought too many and they were turning quite brown. The best time to use them in baking I say! These banana oatmeal cookies didn’t last long in our house. 😉
What are the ingredients for banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?
You want to start with a large or 2 small mashed bananas that are overripe or ripe bananas can be used – brown color all the way around is ideal.
All purpose flour is the base for the dry items to start with and then you will add the leavening agents, baking soda and baking powder. Keep in mind that they won’t spread or rise a lot, just a bit because they are rather dense.
You want to use Old Fashioned Oats not instant type which will give it a great chew and a lot of fiber too!
Light or dark Brown sugar will give them a bit of sweetness. Note – these are healthy cookies in general and just have a mild sweet to them.
You are going to want a bit of vegetable or canola Oil or you could use applesauce but that will not make them quite as moist. You want a bit of fat in there since the rest of the ingredients are rather dry.
Yogurt makes them moist, soft and chewy, we used vanilla but banana would be even better, not low fat
Add a large room temperature egg into the mix and you could add 1/8 tsp vanilla extract too.
And of course to add more sweetness you want to add a cup of Chocolate chips – I prefer mini semi sweet.
Baking sheet with parchment paper you will need when time to bake. I like having a cookie scoop so they are all the same size. Use two bowls to incorporate it into a smooth batter.
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats for cookies?
You can but the texture will just be different for sure, same goes with our Steel Cut Oats Cookies. Old Fashioned are less processed so you will have more grit in a sense in your dish with these. If this is all you have but you want quick you can pulse in a blender quickly to break them into smaller bits. The other way around will just give you a softer feel.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use instant oats in cookies, but they will produce a different texture and consistency compared to using rolled or old-fashioned. They lack the chewy texture with quick, may have a crumbly and more dry texture.
Everything in moderation but I would say these are healthier than others. You don’t have to wait until you have brown bananas for these. Fresh is fine too. Overripe banana cookies just make them sweeter. You don’t want them black, not quite that far is necessary. Look at the examples above to see.
Yours aren’t going to rise a lot, but a bit. The texture is more dense than cake like just to give you an idea. They are a bit like oatmeal cookies in a sense as far as the chewiness goes but more flavorful than that and moist due to the fresh fruit inside each one.
If you too have a few brown naners in your kitchen that you really want to make into something amazing this is a great one to try out. If yours aren’t as sweet and dark as you would like you can add a bit of banana flavor extract to enhance the flavor if you like. They will take about 30 minutes start to finish.
How to Bake Moist Cookies
I like to put them on wire racks to cool immediately once they’re done. This will keep them really soft. If you let them sit just long enough to solidify a bit you can use a spatula to move them over. On parchment paper it is even easier to slide that batch off and on to a wire rack and use the pan to bake a second batch.
Variations
If you want them as healthy as possible you can leave out the chips. You can replace oil with more yogurt or bananas and vegan plant based butter can be substituted. Add crushed walnuts inside if you like. I think everyone is either a love it or hate it as far as nuts in cookies, I am a no go personally. One thing I have tried and loved was dried cranberries once, and raisins another. If you want to keep it healthier I would go with one of those. You’ve got to try them!!
Other add ins you might prefer or want to try once you fall in love with this basic banana cookie recipe. I mean chips are the best if you ask us but just with those there are many options out there. I like semi sweet but white works well too.
Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 2 bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cup Old Fashioned oats, not instant
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large banana, ripe, mashed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup yogurt, plain, vanilla, or even banana flavored. If using greek (thick) you may need to add a few more tbsp.
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup chocolate chips, semi sweet we prefer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) in one bowl and wet (including mashed banana) in another.
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined into a thick dough and all dry ingredients are mixed in. If you used thick yogurt you may need to add a few more tbsp of it until it is all combined together.
- Fold chocolate chips into dough mixture until well combined.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out a ball of dough and put on to parchment paper with about 2″ in between each ball of dough, they still spread a bit but not a lot.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and center is still a bit soft.
- Leave on baking sheet to continue cooking or transfer to cooling rack for a chewier cookie.
- * You could make a simple glaze on the top for added sweetness, just use 1 cup powdered sugar with enough milk to thin out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What is the best way to keep leftover cookies moist?
Well you need to allow them to cool completely first when they come out. You don’t want them to dry out so first off don’t refrigerate them. As long as you can finish them within about 3 days you just need to wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil and leave on the countertop.
A freezer bag works well too but make sure you suck all the air out once the food is inside. Air is the enemy, period end of story to suck moisture right out of those babies.
Other banana recipes you will love
Cake mix banana pudding cake is so moist it is ridiculous Our 4 ingredient banana bread uses boxed cake mix that’s been doctored up
- This banana cream pie is my friend’s creation that’s always a hit
- Our peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe are a good treat too but don’t use fresh fruit.
If your fruit is not really ripe but you still want to make something delicious I would suggest making Banana Bread Pudding with fresh yellow naners sliced into a homemade treat.
