This recipe is a marriage between oatmeal cookies and banana bread. We are taking all the classic banana bread flavors and baking it in a soft oatmeal cookie. Cinnamon, walnuts, and chocolate chips reinforce the banana bread flavors.
Which Oats to Use?
I have used rolled oats for that chewy but soft oatmeal cookie texture. You could use quick oats as well.
However, stay away from instant oats and steel-cut oats. Instant oats will make your cookie mushy and extremely soft, while the steel-cut oats will make them really dry once baked.
Délice Maison / Annika Panikker
Start With Super-Ripe Bananas
Over-ripe bananas work best in this recipe, as the cookies should have a strong banana flavor. That’s best achieved using those soft, browned, and spotted over-ripe bananas.
Tip
Want to make these cookies but you don’t have overripe bananas? No problem! Using a fork, pierce the banana a couple of times with the skin on, place in a plate, transfer to the microwave and heat it on 15-second intervals for about 2 minutes. The skin will blacken and the banana will get mushy.
Melted Butter or Oil?
I prefer the flavor of butter in this cookie as we are going for those nutty banana bread flavors. If you are feeling adventurous, you can brown the butter as well. Even so, oil will also work well in this recipe, specifically olive oil, coconut oil, or sunflower oil.
Go Wild With Add-Ins
My go-to choice of add-ins for these banana oatmeal cookies have to be walnuts and chocolate chips, as those are my favorite for baking banana bread. However, you may swap out whatever add-ins you like.
Dried fruit: My father prefers raisins over chocolate chips and like him, you can add them or any other dried fruit like chopped dates, dried cranberries, etc. to your cookie dough. Nuts: While walnuts are a delicious option, pecans or any other nuts work well in this cookie.
The key here is to keep in mind what flavors you prefer in your banana bread and add those same flavors to the cookie. As long as you stick to 1 cup of add-ins in total, you are in safe territory.
Délice Maison / Annika Panikker
For Easy Portioning, Use a Scoop
I prefer using a small ice cream scoop to portion out the cookie dough, which ensures all my cookies are approximately the same weight. This means they will bake evenly and achieve a round cookie. However, you can also make portions by dropping the dough from a regular spoon (for neater cookies, roll into balls between your palms).
Refrigerating or Freezing Dough to Bake Later
Once the cookie dough is mixed together, you can scoop out the dough on a lined baking tray, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Alternatively, transfer the portioned cookie dough into a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, let the cookie dough thaw on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake as directed.
Délice Maison / Annika Panikker
Oatmeal Cookies Galore!
