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.
Table Of Contents
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies Details
- Here is what you will need
- How to make banana oatmeal cookies
- How ripe should bananas be for baking?
- How to ripen bananas
- What type of oatmeal can I use?
- Delicious add-in options
- Tips for the best taste and texture
- Can I freeze the dough?
- How long will they keep?
- Recipe Video
- Full Recipe Instructions
Banana Oatmeal Cookies Details
- Taste– These banana oatmeal cookies have a rich sweet flavor from the ripe bananas and brown sugar. The melted semisweet chocolate chips add a yummy chocolate finish that is simply divine.
- Texture– These cookies have an incredibly soft and chewy texture from the butter and oatmeal. And swirls of melted chocolate are also a nice creamy addition just like my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
- Ease– Everything in this cookie recipe comes together in one bowl so it doesn’t require any baking skills at all!
- Time- Not only are these cookies super easy to make, but they also come together really fast. Oh and they only bake for 8-9 minutes!
Here is what you will need
- Butter- Unsalted butter,
- Sugar– granulated sugar and golden brown sugar,
- Bananas– need to be very ripe. look for lots of dark spots on the bananas.
- Vanilla extract– for flavor
- Eggs– to bind the cookies during baking
- Dry ingredients- All-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda,
- Oats– old-fashioned oats work best, but quick-cooking will work too!
- Chocolate chips– I use semisweet, but you can use dark or milk chocolate.
How to make banana oatmeal cookies
This is a quick run-down of the recipe with step-by-step photos. For the full detailed recipe, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
- 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.
- Add in the dry ingredients. Hold a fine-mesh sieve right over the cookie dough and add in combine the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Sift it in and mix. Mix at low speed so the flour doesn’t fly everywhere.
- Add the oats and chocolate chips. At this point, you want to mix the oatmeal and chocolate with a spatula.
- 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 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-9 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
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.
How to ripen bananas
So if you don’t have ripe bananas at home, you can ripen them in the oven! Place the unpeeled bananas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-20 minutes.
What type of oatmeal can I use?
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, dark or milk chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, and many more.
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. No need to thaw. Just bake 1-2 minutes more 🙂
How long will they keep?
These chewy banana oatmeal cookies will last for about a week in the fridge if you place them in an airtight container.
Recipe Video
Full Recipe Instructions
Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 3/4 cup golden brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup bananas (about 2 bananas)
- 2 eggs
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix 1 cup softened butter, 3/4 cups brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar using an electric hand mixer.
- Now mash up 2 bananas using a potato masher or a fork and add it to the butter mixture along with 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat that on medium speed until well combined.
- Hold a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl of the banana and butter and add in 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Then sift the dry ingredients in, and mix together at low speed.
- Now add 3 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats along with 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips. At this point mix everything together with a spatula.
- 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 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-9 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nira says
I really liked taste. Great with coffee. Only thing was that they didn’t flatten or spread out as much as I would have wanted them. Suggestions? Definitely will make again.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Nira, thank you for the kind feedback 🙂 Dropping the oven temperature by 10-15 degrees can help the cookies flatten out more.
Emily says
Can I exlcide the nutmeg?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Emily, yes you can exclude the nutmeg. Hope you get a chance to make these banana oatmeal cookies!
Brienne Remy says
This is the first cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. The recipe was easy to follow and the cookies are delicious! They’re crispy on the outside and soft inside. My husband loved them and he’s very picky about his cookies. I added raisins. Next time I’ll try making them a little flatter so I get the chewy texture.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Brienne for your awesome feedback 🙂 Makes me so happy to hear that this banana oatmeal cookie recipe is easy to follow and delicious! Raisins and chocolate chips are my favorite additions to these cookies 🙂 I hope this becomes a family favorite! 🙂
Corey says
I really liked these! I froze some and am now ready bake. Do I let them defrost or right into oven? Thank you for recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Corey, so happy you enjoyed these banana oatmeal cookies! Thank you for taking the time to leave such an awesome review! I have never tried to freeze the cookie dough to this recipe so I honestly can’t say. However, for most other cookie doughs I normally just let them sit at room temperature for about 5-15 minutes. Hope that helps 🙂 I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy from my blog 🙂
Melissa G says
Delicious! Added a 1/4 cup peanut butter and they were amazing.
simplyhomecooked says
That sounds like a delicious addition! Definitely would help all the peanut butter fans out there 🙂 Thank you for your feedback Melissa! So happy you enjoyed these banana oatmeal cookies!
Hannah Gaines says
Made it with oat flour instead for my husband who is gf and turned out perfect!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Hannah, so happy that it turned out delicious for you and your husband approved 🙂 Thank you for your feedback 🙂 I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog!
Jennie says
your nutritional info doesnt share a serving size. Should I assume it would be one cookie?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jennie, thanks for letting me know 🙂 Yes it is for one cookie.
Robyn says
These are great!!
I only had 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal so I substituted the other half cup for a half a cup of flour, turned out awsome! I LOVE FALL and thats all I could think of while makeing them, the best way I can describe them is ” its the best part of a muffin” it has a nice outer crunch and soft inside!? I wonder what it would be like if I added protein powder, perfect reason to eat it for breakfast! lol
Thanks, cant wait to look at your other recipes!! cheers
simplyhomecooked says
You are too kind Robyn! I couldn’t have said it better myself, it really is the best part of a muffin 🙂 I love how your mind works lol, the protein powder would be a nice touch! So happy that you loved these banana oatmeal cookies! 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback and I hope your find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Linsay says
We’re very muffin like
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Linsay, I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy these cookies. They should have a slight banana bread-like texture since there are bananas in there.
Alli Hardin says
Delicious with the chocolate chips!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you, Alli! We love adding chocolate chips too 🙂
Cindy K says
I’ve been looking for a banana oatmeal cookie like my mother in law makes and yours is it! She adds a simple glaze to hers. I’m still working on that! This is really a terrific recipe. I’m sure I’ll make it many times in the future !
simplyhomecooked says
Cindy, that makes me so happy that you found a recipe that brings that type of nostalgia! I have to try them with that glaze now! 🙂
Patricia Zuzack says
delicious cookies…only had to bake 16 minutes instead of 10.pa
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Patricia, I am glad you enjoyed the banana oatmeal cookies 🙂
Stefanie Auger says
Delicious!! Definitely my new go-to ripe banana recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Stefanie, that’s awesome! Thank you for taking the time to write such kind feedback 🙂
Mary Anne says
I’m baking these right now although my batter is more liquify, which worries me. Will see how they turn out after I bake the first batch. Should I refrigerated it so it hardens?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Mary, my apologies for the delayed response. That batter should not be too runny. If thats the case, you can add a little more flour if needed.
Michelle says
Hi there, getting ready to make these and want to confirm the oven temp @ 370 degrees? Just used to seeing 350 or 375 with cookie recipes
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Michelle, yes it should be 370 🙂
Diana Hall says
yummy. Cookies came out great in high altitude.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Diana for your feedback about these banana oatmeal cookies! So happy to hear you enjoyed them 🙂
Jesse says
These are absolutely delicious! My family’s new favorite!!
simplyhomecooked says
Jesse, I am so glad to hear that 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to write your kind review!
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 🙂