Healthy Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (No Oil, No Refined Sugar)
Have ripe bananas? Whip these up to share on picnics, hikes, at the pool, to enjoy before or after a workout, or for a cozy afternoon at home. They are vegan, low-cost, high in fiber, and low in added sugar.
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup ripe mashed banana (2-3 medium bananas)
- 1 cup peanut butter*
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (or 1 cup date paste)
- 2 cups rolled oats or quick oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips (optional) omit or use raisins
- 1 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Arrange oven racks so the lower one is not at the lowest setting (to prevent cookie bottoms from burning). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you plan to add the nuts (which I highly recommend), toast them first. On a plate in the microwave, heat the nuts for 1 minute until they smell fragrant (or in a dry skillet on the stove over medium heat). Chop and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Measure to get roughly 1 cup per batch. Add the peanut butter and maple syrup or date paste, and mix well.
- Stir in the oats, baking soda, salt, and then fold in the chocolate chips and chopped toasted nuts.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out balls of cookie dough onto two baking sheets, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat because they do stick to the pan otherwise. They won't spread much, so use wet fingers to press them slightly and shape them into circle shapes.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Switch pans halfway because the bottom one can burn. Let cool to finish setting up. Enjoy!I keep leftovers in the fridge or freezer because of the banana.
Notes
*Use almond butter or sunflower seed butter if needed.
Otherwise, use all natural peanut butter if possible (just peanuts and maybe salt).
