These Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies are the perfect sweet treat. Bananas, brown sugar, and oats – you’re going to love this soft, yummy dessert.
Cookie crazy? You have to try these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (VIDEO) and walnut chocolate chip cookies.
Banana oatmeal cookies
Banana oatmeal cookies are a perfect mix of sweet flavor and chewy texture. Made with sweet, ripe bananas and oats that give these cookies lots of chewiness, this dessert is sure to please any cookie lover. They also make a great base for nuts, chocolate, and other tasty add-ins. For an easy and delicious oatmeal cookie recipe, you can’t go wrong with this one. I’m also a fan of these Monster Cookies and Nutella Cookies, if you’re in a baking mood.
Ingredients for these oatmeal cookies
Wet ingredients- Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, bananas, and eggs.
Dry ingredients- All-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and old-fashioned oats.
How ripe should bananas be for baking?
Bananas should be very ripe for these oatmeal cookies. When you see brown spots developing on the banana peels, you will know that they are at their sweetest. Ripe bananas are also soft enough to mash easily and mix well with the other ingredients in the cookies.
What type of oatmeal can I use for oatmeal cookies?
You can use old-fashioned or quick oats, but the old-fashioned kind is best. It provides more chew and texture to your banana oatmeal cookies and also holds its shape better during baking.
Delicious add-in options
These chewy oatmeal cookies go great with so many different add-ins. You can try variations that include walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, and many more.
How to make banana oatmeal cookies
- Combine the dry ingredients (except the oats). In a large bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients (except the eggs & bananas). In another bowl, add the unsalted butter, sugars, and vanilla together and beat with an electric hand mixer. Then set aside.
- Mash the bananas. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher and then add them to the butter mixture. Add the eggs as well and beat on medium speed until thoroughly mixed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and the oats to the wet ingredients, mixing at medium speed until well incorporated.
- Scoop cookies. Using a medium-sized cookie scoop, scoop out the cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can roll them into balls or top them with any add-ins that you like at this point.
- Bake. Bake the cookies at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Tips for the best taste and texture
- Ripe bananas- By using ripe bananas, you give your oatmeal cookies a soft, chewiness, as well as plenty of sweetness. Make sure your bananas are ripe for the best flavor and texture.
- Softened butter- If your butter is too hard, it will not mix as well into your cookie batter, changing the texture. Let the butter sit out at room temperature to soften. Don’t microwave it though, because that will just liquefy it.
- Spices- Using complementary spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, which go really well with the bananas and oats, gives these cookies their amazing flavor.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes, this cookie dough can be frozen. If you want to make this banana oatmeal cookie dough ahead of time, go ahead and follow the recipe up to when you form the cookie balls. Instead of topping them with add-ins or baking, place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet and put it in the freezer for an hour. Once they are frozen, you can then put the cookie dough balls into a ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just take them out and bake them when you’re ready.
How long will they keep once the cookies are baked?
These chewy banana oatmeal cookies will last for about a week in the fridge if you place them in an airtight container.
Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup bananas (about 2 bananas)
- 2 eggs
Dry ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
Instructions
Combine dry ingredients
- Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and flour in a large bowl. And set it aside.
Combine all the wet ingredients
- In a separate bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract using an electric hand mixer.
- Now mash up the bananas using a potato masher or a fork and add it to the butter mixture along with 2 eggs. Beat that on medium speed until well combined.
Add flour mixture to the cookie dough
- Add in the flour mixture and oatmeal to the butter and mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop out mounds of the banana oatmeal cookie dough using a medium cookie scoop.
- At this point, you can round them balls in your hands or top with chocolate chips (optional). Now bake at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Ripe bananas- By using ripe bananas, you give your oatmeal cookies a soft, chewiness, as well as plenty of sweetness. Make sure your bananas are ripe for the best flavor and texture.
- Softened butter- If your butter is too hard, it will not mix as well into your cookie batter, changing the texture. Let the butter sit out at room temperature to soften. Don't microwave it though, because that will just liquefy it.
- Spices- Using complementary spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, which go really well with the bananas and oats, gives these cookies their amazing flavor.
Nutrition
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Tanya says
What can i use instead of nutmeg since i dont have it on hand?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Tanya, you can actually just omit it completely and the cookies will still taste delicious 🙂
Kristie says
Hi,
These are so yummy!!!
I made these mostly by the given measurements but added 1/2c of leftover butterscotch chips right into the batter. Also I used 1/2t vanilla plus 1/2t maple flavoring. I only had light brown sugar so added 1T molasses but I’m sure that not necessary.
The butterscotch chips were really yummy but they were skimpy so next time I’ll add a whole cup and maybe more oats.
Best thing is since I’m single I cooked just a few in my air fryer (350°f for 5 minutes) and will freeze the rest. Not sure if I’ll have to add a minute or so extra for the frozen ones. I will let you know after I try them.
Thanks for the yummy recipe, Kristie
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much for your feedback Kristie! I am so so happy to hear that these banana oatmeal cookies were a success and that you loved them! 🙂 Love the addition of the butterscotch, the beauty of recipes is that they can be adjusted to everyone’s needs 🙂 Great idea with the air fryer, I will have to try that myself since I love my air fryer! I hope you find more great recipes on my blog! 🙂
Mary T says
Will there be a big difference if I only use one banana?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Mary, leaving out 1 banana will make quite a difference. The cookies won’t turn out as moist. If you only have 1 banana you can definitely cut the entire recipe in half instead 🙂