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Is it really possible to have a cookie recipe that doesn’t call for any sugar or butter but still produces cookies just as sweet and delicious as the ones you’re normally used to eating? Well, not only are these treats incredibly easy to make — even for moms that rarely bake — they’re tons of fun for kids to get involved in making. The dates and bananas add a rich sweetness to every bite and the toasty oats give these cookies a crispy texture. And if you prefer bars to cookies, it’s easy to convert this recipe.
When I whipped these up with Kenya last week, he totally got into it by helping me smash the bananas, toss the remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl and then by trying to eat as much of the dough as possible before it hit the cookie sheet. Since there are no eggs in this recipe, I didn’t worry about letting him chow away. After all, you only get to be a kid once and eating cookie dough is part of the fun of baking!
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PS You have to freeze a few of these. The kids go crazy for them right out of the freezer!
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 bananas (preferably ripe or spotty bananas)
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup pitted and chopped dried dates
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, walnuts or raisins
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mash bananas in a bowl, and mix in the remaining ingredients.
- Using a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon, place the batter onto a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 Minutes.
Notes
- ** To make into bars – place dough in a greased 7×11 dish, bake for 35-40 minutes then allow to cool. Cut into bars or squares.
- To Freeze: allow cookies to cool after baking then place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
How did they come out?!
Shoot… I bought Rolled Oats because they said they were “Rolled Old Fashioned Oats.” Not sure how long I should cook them?? I already made the batter haha, so I guess I’ll just keep an eyes on them and hope for the best.
Yum! Delicious!!! Just out of the oven and they are sweet and tasty. I could try using fewer choc chips less time. I used mini chips so they are spread out well. My kitchen smelled amazing-like banana bread. Mine were cooked in a little less than 25 min. 🙂 Will be freezing a few as suggested! Thanks!
We’re not fans of dates in our house either so I boiled the dates down to almost a sauce – I boiled them in just a little water and then mashed them – then I cooled them down before adding them to the cookies. It worked really well – no date chunks and still with the sweet goodness they provide!
I just made these with dried plums (because that’s what I had at home) and they are delicious. I did add 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar because I was afraid it wouldn’t be sweet enough (my family just switched to a healthier diet, so unfortunately my kids are used to very sweet cookies). Next time I’ll try with no brown sugar and applesauce instead of oil.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
Melissa, I only had two bananas. They were large though. But the recipe worked for me.
Hi. I only have two bananas!! What if I only do two? Does that ruin the texture or the flavor?
I made these last night and the second batch in the oven turned out great, my first batch got a little burned as we need a new oven soon it burns everything. So I don’t keep them in as long but man my very picky 5 year old loved these and will be sending them in her lunch when she starts kindergarten in 3 weeks. Thank you these are great
Yet another Weelicious WIN! Made these for breakfast this morning, and at the last minute, my husband wandered by and popped a fresh blueberry onto the top of a few, just before they went into the oven. Yum! I think he may have incurred a slight hot-cookie injury when he jumped all over them the minute they were done. And oh yes, our son likes them, too 🙂
These were AMAZING! My whole family loved them,we will definitely be making these all the time.Thanks for the awesome recipe!
WOW! Just made these, (a half batch cause I was a little skeptical) and they were AWESOME! Love the recipe. Thanks so much.
Just be wary of oats as being gluten free. Theoretically they should be but some products strangely include gluten.
Reading all your comments and questions is so helpful! I can’t wait to make these and surprise my kids with a new “cookie” treat.
I thought these were really yummy! My first experience ever using/eating dates. The 5-yr hasn’t gotten up the courage to try them yet. After reading other comments, may try subbing dried strawberries for the dates – that might go over better. I put the leftovers in a ziploc and did notice they got really soft and crumbly in the bag over night.
These were amazing, especially out of the freezer. Next time I make them (which might be today) I plan to freeze the whole batch right away!
Absolutely love this recipe! It’s my go to treat every now and again and one that I recommend to my clients as a healthier cookie. Just a heads up that when you use the search engine on your website to locate this lovely cookie it does not come up when you use the words “banana”, “chocolate chip” or “cookie” so can be hard to find.