Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies (Printable)
Soft, chewy cookies bursting with banana flavor and wholesome oats for a satisfying anytime treat.
# What You Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
03 - 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1 large egg
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
08 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
09 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Mix-ins
12 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer or whisk until the mixture is light and creamy.
03 - Add the mashed bananas, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Mix until well combined and smooth.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
06 - Fold in the chocolate chips or chopped walnuts if using, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
07 - Drop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown while the centers remain soft and slightly under-set.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The bananas do double duty here, adding natural sweetness and keeping every cookie impossibly soft for days.
- You probably have every single ingredient in your kitchen right now, no grocery run required.
02 -
- Underbaking by one minute is always better than overbaking, the cookies firm up considerably as they cool and you want that chewy center to survive.
- If your bananas are not quite ripe enough, pop them in a 300 degree F oven for 15 minutes and the skins will blacken while the flesh turns syrupy sweet inside.
03 -
- Mash the bananas on the finer side, any large chunks create wet spots in the baked cookie that can fall apart.
- Rotate your baking sheet halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots, even browning makes a noticeable difference in both appearance and texture.