Easy 4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
These easy 4-ingredient banana oatmeal cookies are a wholesome and delicious treat perfect for a quick snack or a healthy dessert. Made with ripe bananas, old-fashioned oats, creamy peanut butter, and rich chocolate chips, these cookies come together effortlessly without any added sugar or flour. They are naturally sweetened, gluten-free if using gluten-free oats, and simple enough for beginner bakers.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if desired)
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips (dairy-free if desired)
Wet Ingredients
- 2 ripe and spotty bananas
- ½ cup natural, creamy peanut butter (see notes for substitutions)
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside for later use.
- Mash bananas: In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas thoroughly with a fork until the mixture becomes soft and creamy, resembling chunky soup in consistency.
- Add oats and peanut butter: Add the old-fashioned oats and natural creamy peanut butter to the mashed bananas. Stir well until the mixture forms a thick dough.
- Fold in chocolate chips: Gently fold the chocolate chips into the dough with a rubber spatula or large spoon until they are evenly distributed throughout.
- Drop cookies on baking sheet: Use a small cookie scoop to drop evenly sized portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each cookie gently with your hands or the back of a spatula because these cookies won’t spread while baking.
- Bake the cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookies have a slightly golden brown color. Avoid overbaking as cookies will continue to cook slightly while cooling.
- Cool the cookies: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on it for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- For a nut-free version, substitute peanut butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini.
- Use gluten-free oats to keep the recipe gluten-free.
- Chocolate chips can be replaced with dried fruit or chopped nuts as desired.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
