Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies (Printable)
Soft, chewy cookies bursting with ripe banana and hearty oats—a wholesome anytime treat.
# What You Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 2/3 cup)
02 - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
03 - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
04 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1 large egg
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
→ Optional Add-ins
12 - 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
# How-To:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Add the mashed bananas, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Beat on medium speed until fully incorporated and smooth.
04 - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
06 - Gently fold in the rolled oats along with chocolate chips or chopped walnuts, if using, until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
07 - Drop rounded tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers appear just set.
09 - Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before storing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The banana flavor is warm and subtle, never overpowering, and it keeps every cookie soft for days.
- They work equally well as a rushed breakfast, an afternoon snack, or something sweet after dinner without feeling heavy.
02 -
- Overbaking is the fastest way to ruin these, so pull them from the oven when the centers still look slightly underdone and trust the carryover heat.
- Letting the bananas get truly overripe, with completely brown skins, was a game changer I discovered by accident and now deliberately plan for.
03 -
- Use a cookie scoop instead of a spoon so every cookie is the same size and they all bake evenly without any burnt edges or raw centers.
- Press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each dough mound right before baking, because the visible chunks on top make them look bakery worthy.