January 26, 2020

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Name: Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 29 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp; ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce; 1 cup raw cane sugar (turbinado); 3 ripe bananas, mashed; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 2½ cups all-purpose flour ((can sub almond flour, see notes)); 1½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 cups quick oats; 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; ¼ cup chopped nuts ((optional))

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These Easy Banana Oatmeal Cookies are perfect for a quick snack, breakfast, or activities like hiking and camping. This recipe only requires one bowl to mix the batter and the cookies can be stored for days or frozen.

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I used to be a pretty active backpacker and hope to pick it up again once my son gets a little older. One of my friends gave me the recipe for these Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Cookies for hiking and camping. These cookies are sturdy enough to be in a backpack without getting smashed and stay fresh for days. They also have oatmeal, banana, and chocolate for a nice energy boost.

BUT…these aren’t just for hiking. I recently made a double batch of these for a campout with 20 adults and 8 kids and they were a hit! We ate them for breakfast, snacks, and dessert for 3 days!

How to Make Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375° and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Put the butter and applesauce in a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until mixed together. Don’t worry if it looks curdled, it will smooth out as you add addiitional ingredients.
Add the sugar, bananas, vanilla, and eggs and continue to beat at medium speed. Next, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and continue beating until just combined.
Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and nuts with a spoon or spatula.
Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet with a cookie scoop or spoon.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until golden on the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

What makes these cookies “healthy”?

Because these have bananas and oatmeal in them they are great for breakfast. And because they are a cookie, they also work for a snack or dessert. This recipe is called “healthy” because it has applesauce instead of oil and natural sugar instead of processed sugar. You can omit the butter and/or the chocolate chips altogether if you are really looking to cut back on calories.

You Can Also Make Banana Oatmeal Muffins!

This batter is so versatile you can make muffins with it as well! Same oven temp, just a different pan. I made some super cute mini muffins for my campout and they turned out perfectly. I may have put a little cream cheese frosting on one of them…don’t tell! And just like their cookie counterpart, they are pretty sturdy and made it through car camping chaos.

Super Fast and Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

To make the cream cheese frosting, place 1 cup of softened cream cheese in a stand mixer or mixing bowl and beat at medium speed. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add 2 cups of confectioners powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until nice and smooth. Add 1-2 tbsp heavy cream or milk to get your desired consistency. Frost and enjoy!

banana oatmeal muffin with cream cheese frosting — OK, so these are basically cupcakes, but they are “healthy” cupcakes😆

Tips for these Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Make sure you give these cookies plenty of room to spread out on the baking sheet, they like to spread out!
Store these cookies in an air-tight bag or container. They will stay good for several days.
You can make these cookies or muffins and freeze them for later. Once they have cooled completely, place them in a sealable bag or container and freeze for up to 6 months.

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