Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Banana cinnamon oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy and warmly spiced, with ripe banana baked right into the dough. They are a great way to use up bananas that are getting too spotty to eat.

These cookies are made with whole wheat flour and quick oats, with no eggs and no butter. Mashed banana, a tablespoon of oil and a little water hold the dough together, and they bake in just 13 minutes.

The Best Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies (No Eggs, No Butter)

These cookies take everything good about a classic oatmeal cookie and add the sweet, mellow flavor of ripe banana. Cinnamon and vanilla bring out the banana and make the whole kitchen smell like banana bread while they bake.

What makes the recipe work is the banana itself. Two mashed ripe bananas do the job that eggs and most of the butter usually do. They add moisture, bind the dough and bring natural sweetness, so the recipe only needs a single tablespoon of canola oil. Brown sugar adds a caramel note and keeps the centers chewy, while a little white sugar helps the edges turn golden.

Whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour gives the cookies a hearty, nutty flavor, and quick oats add that soft, chewy oatmeal cookie bite. The dough rests for 5 minutes before baking so the oats can soak up the last of the liquid. That short rest is what keeps the cookies thick and tender instead of spreading thin.

The texture lands somewhere between a cookie and a soft baked bar: golden brown on the bottom, soft to the touch on top and tender all the way through. They are best eaten warm, right off the pan, but they also make an easy snack for lunch boxes, an afternoon pick me up with coffee or a treat after school.

Why You’ll Love These Banana Oatmeal Cookies

• Uses up ripe bananas. Two spotty bananas go straight into the dough.
• No eggs or butter. Mashed banana and one tablespoon of oil hold everything together.
• Whole grain. Whole wheat flour and quick oats give them a hearty, nutty flavor.
• Quick to bake. Just 13 minutes at 350°F, and they are best eaten warm.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here is what goes into these whole wheat oatmeal cookies and why each one is there. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour: Either works. Whole wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat, so it is finer and gives a more tender cookie. Regular whole wheat flour makes a slightly heartier, denser cookie with a nuttier flavor.
• Quick oats: Quick oats are cut smaller than old fashioned oats, so they soften quickly and give a chewy, even texture. Old fashioned oats will make a chunkier cookie.
• Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread just a little. It reacts with the brown sugar and banana, which are both slightly acidic, and it helps the bottoms brown.
• Cinnamon: The warm spice that pairs so well with banana. Use a fresh jar for the best flavor, since ground spices fade over time.
• Salt: A small amount balances the sweetness and makes the banana and cinnamon taste brighter.
• Ripe bananas: The riper the better. Look for bananas with lots of brown spots. They are sweeter, softer and mash more easily, and they give the most banana flavor. Mash them well with a fork so there are no large chunks left. Small lumps are fine and leave little pockets of banana in the cookies.
• Brown sugar: Brings moisture and a caramel flavor, and it keeps the cookies soft and chewy. Light or dark brown sugar both work.
• White sugar: Helps the edges crisp and turn golden.
• Canola oil: Just one tablespoon adds richness. Any neutral oil, like vegetable or light olive oil, works the same way.
• Water: A few tablespoons loosen the dough so the flour and oats hydrate evenly.
• Vanilla: Rounds out the banana and cinnamon. Pure vanilla extract has the best flavor.

How to Make Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a baking sheet. A fully heated oven helps the bottoms brown evenly.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well so the baking soda and cinnamon are spread evenly through the flour. Pockets of baking soda can taste bitter, so a good stir here matters.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas, brown sugar, white sugar, oil, water and vanilla. Mix well until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture looks smooth.
4. Combine. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well until no dry flour remains. The dough will be soft and sticky, more like a thick batter than a stiff cookie dough, and that is exactly right.
5. Let the dough rest. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes so the oats can absorb any remaining liquid. It will thicken slightly and be easier to scoop.
6. Scoop and bake. Drop the dough by large spoonfuls onto the greased baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes, until the bottoms are brown. The cookies should still be soft to the touch on top. Enjoy them warm!

Ways to Customize These Cookies

• Add a mix in. Stir in chopped walnuts, raisins or chocolate chips with the dry ingredients.
• Change the spice. Add a pinch of nutmeg along with the cinnamon for a banana bread flavor.
• Switch the flour. Use whole wheat pastry flour for a softer, more tender cookie.
• Make them smaller. Use a smaller spoon for bite size cookies, and start checking them a minute or two early.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies FAQs

• How ripe should my bananas be? Very ripe, with lots of brown spots. Riper bananas are sweeter, mash easily and give the cookies the most banana flavor.
• Do these cookies have eggs? No. Mashed banana binds the dough in place of eggs, and there is no butter either.
• Can I use old fashioned oats? Yes, but the cookies will be chunkier. Quick oats give a softer, more even texture.
• How do I know when they are done? Bake for 13 minutes, until the bottoms are brown. The tops should still feel soft. They firm up as they cool.
• Why did my cookies spread too much? The dough may not have rested long enough. Letting it sit for 5 minutes lets the oats absorb the extra liquid.
• Can I use a different oil? Yes. Any neutral oil, such as vegetable oil or light olive oil, works in place of canola oil.
• Can I add chocolate chips or nuts? Yes. Fold in a handful of chocolate chips, raisins or chopped walnuts after combining the wet and dry ingredients.
• Can I use regular whole wheat flour? Yes. Whole wheat pastry flour makes a softer cookie, and regular whole wheat flour makes a heartier one.
• How should I store them? Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container. Because they are made with fresh banana, they stay soft and moist, and they are best within a few days.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Banana Cookies

Cinnamon banana cookies made with ripe bananas, quick oats and whole wheat flour, with no eggs and no butter. They bake in 13 minutes and are best eaten warm.

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Ingredients

  

• 1.5 cups whole wheat or wheat pastry flour
• 2 cups whole quick oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 3 Tbs water
• 1.5 tsp vanilla

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In medium size bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
• In separate bowl, combine bananas, brown sugar, sugar, oil, water, and vanilla. Mix well.
• Combine banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir well. Allow cookie dough to sit for 5 minutes to allow oats to absorb any remaining liquid.
• Drop cookie dough by large spoonful on greased baking sheet.
• Bake for 13 minutes until the bottom is brown. The cookies should still be soft to touch. Enjoy them warm!

Made these cookies? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and share how they turned out in the comments below. Your feedback helps other bakers.

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