Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
These peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies were created out of a need for filling growing and active kiddos without wanting all of the empty ingredients. The best part about these cookies is that you only need a few basic pantry ingredients to make these!
I have growing kiddos and they are constantly hungry.
Making cookies is kind of my thing and I really enjoy having a baked treat for my kids to snack on throughout the week.
The main problem with baked goods is that, although they are delicious, they don’t offer much as far as nutrition.
These cookies taste like my greek yogurt banana bread and peanut butter cookies rolling into one and are full of quality protein!
Plus, they are so simple and store great in the freezer.
If you’re looking for more delicious snack options be sure to try my chocolate chip cookies without nuts, French crepes, and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!
What are Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies?
These easy peanut butter banana cookies are a glorified peanut butter covered banana that bakes up into the most delicious cookies.
One of my favorite things about them is that they are full of good fiber and protein so you can snack on them guilt free.
The main pantry staples you’ll need for these are peanut butter, ripe bananas, old fashioned oats, and protein powder, basically the same ingredients in my delicious protein porridge.
If you don’t have protein powder, no problem! Just leave it out.
Why You’ll Love Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
- Your kids will be filled with nutrients while enjoying a treat that they will love.
- These are perfect to make ahead and store in the freezer for another day.
- Ripe bananas never go to waste with this recipe in your recipe box.
- These are flourless and use old fashioned oats instead, which offers nutrients such as iron, magnesium, and vitamin B!
- These are customizable, so add in nuts, coconut, or m and m’s to make them a bit extra.
- These healthy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies are a great treat to throw in a lunchbox!
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- Mashed Ripe Bananas- Use up those overripe bananas with these easy cookies. I use medium bananas, but this easy recipe is forgiving. If you only have smaller bananas, throw in an extra banana to make up for it. If you don’t have ripe bananas, that’s fine. Your cookies might not be as sweet since ripe bananas have more starch that is broken down and thus tastes sweeter.
- Natural Peanut butter– I like to make these extra healthy by using a natural creamy peanut butter, but use regular peanut butter if that’s what you have on hand. Almond butter or sunflower seed butter would work fine, too.
- Protein Powder- I use a chocolate protein powder to add extra protein and give these cookies more of a mocha flavor. You may easily omit this ingredient without making any changes to the recipe. They will still be amazing.
- Sugar– You can omit this, if you want, but I use a small amount of sugar in these. Honey, pure maple syrup, brown sugar, or coconut sugar can be used, also.
- Old fashioned oats- I prefer old fashioned oats because they give more chew to baked goods.
- Salt– Salt always brings out the sweetness of a cookie.
- Chocolate chips- This also adds a bit of sweetness, which pairs nicely with the peanut butter and banana. Dark chocolate chips add a deep cocao flavor to these healthy peanut butter banana cookies, so try those if you prefer that flavor profile! Use peanut butter chips to enhance the peanut butter flavor in this easy cookie recipe.
Tell Me About These Cookies
- Taste– The banana and peanut butter taste incredible. Add in the chocolate chips melted all around and they are next level.
- Texture– These banana peanut butter cookies are chewy with the creamy batter mixed in with oatmeal.
- Ease– You will, literally, throw everything in your electric mixer and whip these together in no time.
- Time– Making the batter takes only a few minutes and these cookies bake up in 8 minutes, making them a great last minute treat.
How to Make Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
- Make Batter- Add everything to an electric mixer and blend until smooth on medium-high speed. There might still be some chunks of banana, but get the cookie batter as smooth as possible.
- Add to Baking Sheet- Drop cookies on a prepared baking sheet using a large spoon or cookie scoop. Pat them down so they are the right shape for a cookie.
- Bake Cookies– These take around 8 minutes at 350°F. Don’t over bake or they will be dry. Cool on a cooling rack and enjoy as a healthy snack!
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
- Use very ripe bananas for this tasty recipe to get the proper texture and sweetness. If you have green bananas, let them ripen for a day or two. Yellow bananas will work fine, they just might not be as sweet.
- For best results, flatted the cookies after you drop your cookie dough on your baking sheet so they are the same shape as a normal, baked cookie. These won’t spread while baking, so you need to make them the shape you want prior to baking them.
- Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets to keep them from sticking.
- This batter is sticky, so damped your hands to handle.
- The best way to mash bananas is by adding them to your electric mixer with the paddle attachment and letting the mixer do the work.
How to Store Leftover Cookies
- On counter top– These are best kept in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They should be pretty shelf stable, but try not to let them hang out for more than 3 days on the counter.
- Freezer– Pop baked and cooled cookies into a ziplock freezer bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you want to eat some, pull them out and let them sit at room temperature for a hour before enjoying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, because they only contain one tablespoon of sugar and most of the sweetness derives from the mashed bananas which produce a natural sweetness.
No, these cookies do not have a rising agent in them, so they do not spread or grow. I like to press them down into a cookie shape after I put the batter on the cookie sheet so that they are more like a regular cookie shape.
You do not have to use protein powder in these cookies. I use the powder to give the cookies an extra boost of protein. If you omit the powder, you do not need to make any other changes to keep the proper consistency of the cookie.
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookie
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 medium or large ripe bananas, about 1½ cups
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, optional
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- Add peeled bananas in your mixing bowl and mash them with the paddle attachment.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients minus the chocolate chips. Mix until smooth and most of the chunks of banana are gone.
- Toss in the chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated.
- Put large spoonfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Press them down to form a true cookie shape and not just a cookie dough ball.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until done. Do not overbake or they will be dry.
Notes
- Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets to keep them from sticking.
- This batter is sticky, so damped your hands to handle.
- The best way to mash bananas is by adding them to your electric mixer with the paddle attachment and letting the mixer do the work.
