Moist and Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
These Banana Oatmeal Cookies are hands down the best banana flavored cookie I’ve ever had. Not only are they moist and chewy for days, they are unmistakably banana-y.
Banana can be one of those flavors that can get lost when you bake with it. It can be really subtle flavor. It always bums me out when that happens, because I LOVE the taste of banana. And so does the hubs.
So when good flavored banana treats come along, we go a little crazy for them.
These cookies make the list of banana things to go crazy for. Without a doubt.
And they’re so moist, they almost melt in your mouth. Plus, with both banana and oats in them, they’re basically healthy, right? 😉 And perfect for breakfast!
Making them is just as easy as eating them.
You’ve got the usual suspects – butter, brown sugar, white sugar, an egg, vanilla and mashed bananas. You start by mixing all those lovely ingredients together.
I must warn you. The smell of that mixture – with the banana – is intoxicating. The hubs was in the kitchen making the dough with me (we made a deal that included him baking with me) and we both had to work hard to not put our faces, or a straw, straight into it.
Then you add all the dry ingredients (which means you only use one bowl – yay!) and mix it all together!
To bake them, spoon out about a tablespoon of dough and make a thick disc, rather than a ball. They spread a bit when baking, so don’t put them too close together. Bake them for about 10-12 minutes for a nice, moist cookie. So yummy!
One other thing I love about this recipe is where it came from.
My grandmother (my dad’s mom) passed away in 2008. After I started baking a lot a few years ago, my uncle gave me her cookbook that he’d had and didn’t use. I’ve had it on my list to make a number of her desserts ever since.
My dad and I made her gaufrettes (a French cookie – my great grandparents were French) a year or so ago. It was a tradition for my grandmother to make them every Christmas! She gave everyone a big tin of them, which was quite a feat with 6 sons.
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I now know just how much of a feat it was! My goodness. She made them with a traditional gaufrette iron that goes over an open flame. My dad and I had them on the stove. They cook very quickly and you have to be precise. Too little time and they kind of disintegrated into the iron. Too long and they burned into the iron and we had to wash it out.
My dad was pouring the batter and removing the cookies, I was working the iron, the hubs was timing things. It took quite a few tries to get it right, but they were so good! I’ve tried to make them again on my own and it never works. I’d love to share the recipe, but the dang irons are so hard to find. And expensive. At some point, I’d like to just make a cookie with the same gaufrette flavor.
For now though, I’m sharing these cookies. I don’t think I ever had them when she made them, but they are from her book.
It’s such a fun recipe book to look through, too. There are so many handwritten pages, clippings and newspaper recipes that were taped into the book. I love the way they used to write recipes in the paper – they had the person who submitted it’s name and cute little stories. It’s so fun to read through them! What a different time in the world!
Anyways, I don’t really know where this recipe came from. The paper looks like it was on a flier from their square dancing group or something (they were big into square dancing). It’s definitely from West Virginia, where they lived.
Either way, I’m so glad to finally share a recipe from her book with you! I made a few changes to make them thicker and puffier and they are delicious. There will be more to come from her recipe book, but for now enjoy the banana. 🙂
Moist and Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Yield: 34-36 cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup salted butter, softened (I use Challenge Butter)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp cornstarch
3 cups old fashioned oats
Directions:
1. Mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and mashed bananas until well combined.
2. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and cornstarch and mix until combined.
3. Stir in oats.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Spoon tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Flatten dough a little bit, into thick discs. They will spread a little when baked.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges just start to golden.
7. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes, then move to cooling rack to finish cooling.
Enjoy!
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I'm a wife and puppy mom with a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the sugar!
I love banana cookies, and these look so wonderful!
Thanks Rachel! Banana is a weakness of mine. 🙂
me too. i have lots of banana
I love the story behind the cookies, and I’m especially a fan of the “preserving children” recipe. That sounded like a winner!
Thanks Holly! I love the preserving children recipe too – so fun how they used to have stuff like that in the newspaper. It was great to meet you at BYBC! 🙂
Recipes from grandmothers are the best. My grandmother totally clipped recipes and wrote them all down from her friends too! I wouldn’t mind trying some banana cookies!
Aren’t they? It’s fun to think about her when I go through the recipes. 🙂
You are such a genius! I love this idea for regular cookies, not just breakfast ones. Mmm, I can almost taste them!
Thanks Dorothy! I will eat banana cookies any time! 🙂
Lindsay, I love these cookies. They look so flavorful! And I also love your stories of your family cooking together!! That is what I am all about! What a great clip in there about the “recipe to preserve children”!! That is just precious, and still rings true today! It was great to meet you in person last weekend at BYBC!!
Thanks Renee! It was great meeting you too! 🙂
I loved reading about your grandmother!! Someday I hope I’m remembered as fondly by my children and grandcgildren(gasp!)! And these cookies sound just lovely! I love when the banana flavor isn’t lost in a recipe too!!
Thanks Jocelyn! I hope my kids (when we have them) remember me that way too! I’d say we’re on our way to being remembered for our baking, at least. 🙂
That is such a cool recipe origin story! I almost never see banana cookies so it’s great that you posted a recipe :). I also agree that these are perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast haha.
Thanks Rebecca! I knew as I soon as I saw this recipe that I need to make them – I love banana!
I could call these breakfast!! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
My kind of breakfast 🙂 Thanks for the party Karly!
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Featuring you today over on my blog! Thank you so much for linking up to {wow me} wednesday!
Ginger @ GingerSnapCrafts.com
Thanks Ginger! I hopped over and pinned it 🙂
I made the banana oatmeal cookies this morning – heavenly! I doubled the batch, tucked half into the freezer! These are delicious and a great use of bananas for those tired of banana bread! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you like them Carrie! Thanks!! 🙂
Just made these Banana oatmeal dreamies they are Delish!!! Thank You for sharing the recipe. from the Wise Family
These are awesome!!!! I made two cakes with the mix and blogged about it! I linked te recipe back here! I hope that’s ok? I didn’t publish the recipe just told my readers where to find the original.
Xxxxx
I just whipped up a batch of these and they are fantastic! I love the banana flavor. The only thing that would make them better, in my opinion, are some walnuts or pecans. I will be sure to add nuts next time I bake these! 🙂
I’m so glad you like them! The nuts would be great, you’re right!
Just made these for our co-op tomorrow! I was looking for something non-chocolate to go with the chocolate chip cookies, since there’s always one person who doesn’t like chocolate. They’re delightful.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Emily! Thanks!
I found your blog searching for a banana recipe that wasn’t banana bread and wasn’t just another TWIST on banana bread! I don’t consider chocolate-chip banana bread or zucchini banana bread a large enough deviation. We have company coming tomorrow and I want to give them something unique! This fits the bill! I’m making these cookies first thing in the morning, in time for them to enjoy them and a fresh cuppa for breakfast.
Thank you very much for sharing this special recipe!
Thanks Jess, so glad you found the recipe! I hope you enjoyed them!
Just found your Banana Oatmeal Cookie recipe today. I can’t wait to make them. I also love your story and picture of the newspaper clipping for Preserving Children. The recipe for the Black Walnut Pineapple bars on that same clipping sounds awesome. Would you mind sharing that recipe? Thanks
I just made these and they are delicious!!
This makes a lot of cookies – and as always anything
banana tastes better the next day.
Thank you for the wonderful story and fabulous recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Peggy!
Just to be clear are you referring to 1/4 tsp of ground cloves? (not whole, right?) sandra
Yes, ground cloves.
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I am drowning in over-ripe bananas at this moment, and your cookie recipe sounds like the answer to my prayers. Made with ingredients I already have in the house. God bless you, and your grandmother, for this recipe. Thank you so much.
I hope you enjoy them!
We had a whole bunch of over ripe bananas and just bought some good Irish oats. It was so cold, rainy and dreary yesterday so it was a perfect time to bake to make the house cozy, warm and fill the air with fresh baked goodness. Your recipe was a godsend and perfect! I love the story behind the recipe that yielded very moist cookies with wonderful banana flavor. ♡
Awesome, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Michelle 🙂
Just combined your banana and strawberry blueberry white chocolate chip recipes together. Oh my! Brought back memories from my childhood! Amazing! Try it!
What a fun idea! I’m glad you enjoyed them Jodi! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this piece of your grandmothers history and love, i understand how it feels to bake a comforting memory/meal of a loved one passed on….i know she is up in the heavens smiling away…probably bragging about how thats her recipe your trying and her pan…or yelling instructions…like grandmothers do! Bless you for sharing, now when i bake these, ill think of your grandmother too and thank her…i would have never thought to combine these ingredients…
Thank you Selma! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I love these cookies! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I followed the recipe just right, But I added walnuts as well. They turned out fabulous! Nice and soft, not chewy or hard, and wonderful banana flavor. I am taking them to a meeting with me tomorrow. I will be making more after the meeting so I can have some at home!
To add to my comment.. I very much enjoyed your blog with your story. How wonderful to have such a gift from your grandmother. And how sweet the “Recipe for Preserving Children” That’s a keeper for sure.
Thanks Michelle! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I just made these cookies and when my husband tasted the first one, he asked “Is there any salt in this recipe?” I didn’t taste them (am gluten free) but I must admit I wondered about this when making them. I found it unusual there was no salt in this recipe. Is my husband the only one that can taste the ommission of salt?
I’m sorry about that Cathy. I usually use salted butter in my recipes, unless otherwise stated. I can see how that’d be confusing though. I’ll update the recipe so that it’s clear.
I tried this recipe and they taste wonderful! The only thing is that they didn’t stay in cookie form. As soon as I tried to take them off the cookie sheet, they all crumbled. So now I just have a huge pile of delicious, but frustrating cookie crumbs. This was just the first batch though. Can I add anything to the next batches to keep them together?
Thanks!
Hmmm, that’s strange. Did you let them cool a bit before taking them off of the cookie sheet? Sometimes cookies will crumble if they’re still to warm to hold together. Maybe try letting them cool for a few minutes.
What a wonderful story and fabulous recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! I made these tonight and they are sooo good. I added in a few chocolate chips to the mix as well to get in my chocolate fix. These will make a great snack to go with the kids to school.
Thank you so much for the recipe. I was looking online for something to do with the over ripe bananas I had since my husband is not a fan of banana bread. These are delicious. My 9 month old liked them too! The recipe as is made 48. I put chocolate chips in the last 12 🙂 Thanks again!!
I will definetly try baking this! Ms. Lindsay, is your salted butter melted or softened?
It’s softened. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect that. Thanks!
Will this recipe work as muffins, too?
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say.
These are too sweet for me! Warning to anyone who doesn’t like a super sweet oatmeal cookie!
Beautiful recipe, though! I’ll have to try again with less sugar … and I forgot the salt :p
Hi…the cookies look so damn delicious…I’m planning to make them on my day off…I’m just wondering if I need to use the ready to cook one minute oats or the regular oats…thanks in advance
The quick cook 1 minute oats
awesome recipe Lindsay 🙂
my second attempt at baking, turned fantastic by Gods grace.
thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Heyy .. I was reading this beautiful story and lovely recipe and being a great fan of banana and oat meal i cudnt wait so i went a made these and guess what? I love thrm.. Moist soft chewy.. And the smell.. Yumm!! Thts all i can say.. Thnk a ton for this recipe and i love ur grandma .. 😉
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!
This recipe looks great! Do you mix with a mixer or a spoon?
I use a mixer.
These banana oatmeal cookies had a tremendous flavor, although they were quite dry. I would trybthem again & add a lil bit more banana to see if that helps. Ty forr the recipe. Is a cheap treat too, which was nice, as the cupboards were getting bare. Lol
I’m sorry you found them to be dry. Odds are you could bake them for a couple minutes less and have better luck. 🙂 Glad you still enjoyed them!
Thanks for sharing! These came out wonderful!!!
Anyone ever tried subbing coconut oil for butter?
How long will these cookies keep, do you think? Need some for a bake sale at school on Friday, it’s Tuesday today – will they still be OK if I keep them airtight or would I be better off freezing?
By the way, my children love them!
I’m so glad you enjoy the cookies! I’d think Tuesday to Friday might be ok generally, but for then for the person buying them at the bake sale they’d be on the later end of when they’d be best.
i like these. Super thick. Think they coulda done with a little more sugar though.
Also i added pecabs to half the batch for texture. Equally yum but still a bit more sugar
I always have bananas that seem to be getting really ripe before we can eat them all. Rather than throw them away, I searched the internet for a banana cookie recipe and found your recipe for Banana Oatmeal Cookies and decided to try them and they were delicious! I made one pan full exactly as the recipe. On the next batch, I added in chopped pecans (will try walnuts next time), and the last batch added both pecans and chocolate chips. I even made the last few thinner and baked until they were a bit more crispy. All of the versions were great! They were all gone within just a few days and there are only two people in our household. Next time, I’m also going to throw in some dried cranberries and probably some butterscotch or caramel chips. Oh, the possibilities are endless and delicious! Loved the story about your grandmother’s cookbook! I still have the one my mom taught me to cook from. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Lindsay! I made these cookies and we loved them. Thank you for the recipe.
Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’ve made this almost everyday! But I replaced the sugar with honey, so I could eat them every day for brekafast along with my tea. I have a question, how long can I keep the cookies in the freezer (days,months etc.)? And should I heat them up immediately in the microwave when I’ve taken them out of the freezer, or should I first thaw them and then heat them up?
Thanks in advance, and keep up the good work!
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them. I haven’t tested freezing these, but I think generally 3-4 weeks is best. As far as heating them, I’d test both options and see which you prefer. I haven’t tried it.
I just made your banana cookies last night and was looking forward to a chewy cookie, however, mine did not turn out that way. They are soft and moist, not really chewy. I bake all the time and followed the recipe, then tried baking a little longer, still no chewiness. I am a real cookie lover and would like these to come out right. Any suggestions?
Perhaps we have a different idea of a chewy cookie? These are chewy/soft vs crunchy. Were you looking for something denser? These Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies are definitely denser and could be more like what you’re looking for.
I stumbled across your recipe in an effort to use three ripe bananas. These things are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing them!
I just made the banana oatmeal cookies and they came out so flat. For the life of me I can’t figure out what I did wrong. Could my baking soda be old and make them do this?
It’s hard for me to say for sure without being there. I’m sure you can see from the photos that these aren’t particularly thick cookies, but if they were especially flat, one possible reason would be the butter being too soft which would cause them to spread more. Another possibility is under measuring the flour, which would give a less thick dough. Another possibility is did you use the cornstarch? I know sometimes people leave that out thinking it’s not a big deal, but if you left it out it would definitely make the cookies fall flat.
I hope that helps!
I bet it was the butter – I put it in the microwave to soften it…..probably too long. Thanks for the tip!
These are my favorite cookies!! Maybe even higher than chocolate chip! (I’m sure you know, there are many terrible chocolate chip cookies out there!) I’m trying to think of a way to inhale even more of these at one time! Is there a way to turn these into a sandwich cookie? Or do you think they’d be too soft?
Hmm, you could probably turn them into a cookie sandwich. If they seem a bit soft, you could try baking them for an extra couple of minutes, or make smaller cookies and they’d probably work fine.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Hi
Thanks so much for sent the very good recipes (:
Simple and delicious! I generally omit the sugar if there are fruits in the recipe. It’s still delicious and sweet enough!
I made these cookies today and they are so delish! I had old bananas and didn’t want to make banana nut bread again so I found this recipe and gave them a try! They are so moist and delicious! Thanx a million
Would the Moist and Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies work with almond flour instead of regular flour? Almond flour is a better diabetic option.
I haven’t tried it, but it should be fine.
These sound delish! But I was wondering could I add some chopped walnuts to the cookie as well? I just can’t seem to eat things with bananas without having walnuts involved. That’s my Mom’s influence on me I guess.
Sure, go for it! Sounds great! 🙂
These are delicious! Used whole wheat flour, tastes just like banana bread. Yum!!
I got a huge amount of overripe bananas yesterday and was looking for recipes to use them in when I came across this one…..They are incredible…I dont like bananas by themselves or oatmeal in general but this recipe is fantastic..they will go really well with the banana ice cream and banana bread i am making..
I dont know if it was just me overlooking something but i could not find when to add the flour in the recipe ( i added before the oats )..anyhow thanks for posting the recipe, its nice to have another use for those ripe bananas and a delicious one at that!
I’m glad you enjoyed them! The flour is listed in step #2. 🙂
I just made these cookies today and when you say “They are chewy for days” you really mean it. I think I will call these the “5MinuteCookie” because they are SO chewy it takes 5 minutes to eat one.
They are Very tasty though. I recommend increasing the flour to 2 1/2c and decreasing the oats to 1 cup. I really love the recipes on this Web Site. This is the First one I was disappointed by.
Love these! I added some toasted walnuts and about a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. They’re almost identical to my favorite chewy oatmeal cookies but sweeter with the banane, and I almost want to pass them off as breakfast cookies ☺️ So good!
Glad you enjoyed them! Yay for cookies for breakfast! 🙂
I added dried cranberry pieces and chopped walnuts. Since I only purchase unsalted butter, I also added 1 teaspoon of organic sea salt. Quality Control (me) love these treats. The men who attend a bi-monthly bible study in our home will be my first customers tonight. (Except of course my cookie login’ ‘ husband!)
I discovered your oatmeal banana cookies today. I can NOT wait to make them. I’m hoping my dad really likes them. Oatmeal cookies have always been a very big favorite of his and I’d like to try him on some new ones. I checked out the cookies your grandmother made for every one, the gaufrettes. Are they basically the same as the Italian pizzelle cookies? They definitely look like it and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they were. I’ve been in both Italy and France and they both have amazing pastries and other baked goods. I love discovering recipes from other backgrounds from all over the world. To me its one of the most fun things about baking.
I hope your dad enjoys them! I’m not sure that gaufrettes and pizzelles are quite the same. Similar, but if I remember correctly the flavor and texture is a bit different. And she’d make them in a hot iron over an open flame – so that could’ve been some of the flavor difference too. 🙂
Wow, these cookies turned out so good!!! The smell throughout the house is making me drool. I put a few butterscotch chips on each one for an added bonus.
Thanks for sharing!
Ohhhh, I love the butterscotch chips addition! Glad you enjoyed them!
Great recipe! I enjoyed the blog post too. I tweaked it just a tad (less sugar, plus some maple syrup and spices). This is a KEEPER! Delicious.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Just made the Oatmeal cookies and my family is in love! They are amazing! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I bought 25 pounds of ripe bananas a few days ago. So, I’ve frozen some, made banana smoothies, banana bread, banana cake, banana pudding, and banana muffins. I was so happy to find your recipe! The first batch is in the oven now. Thank you for posting this.