Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe Features

• Uses Ripe or Overripe Bananas: Finally, a banana recipe that’s NOT cake or bread.
• Easy to Make: No chilling the dough. Just mix and bake!
• Freezer Friendly: The cookie dough can be frozen for fresh baked cookies anytime!

You’ll love these banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies because they are so soft and moist. They taste like banana bread and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies combined into one dessert and they are super simple to make.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is made with basic cookie ingredients like: butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda and salt.

To make these banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies we’ve added ripe or slightly overripe bananas, old fashioned oats, chocolate chips, and cinnamon for extra flavors and textures. These are hearty cookies, loaded with goodies.

How to Make Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me show you how easy it is to make these banana oatmeal cookies in (almost) one bowl.

Be sure to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line sheet trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. These cookies come off the pan easier this way — compared to just greasing the pan with cooking spray.

1. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
2. Add the mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well and scrape bowl.
3. Stir or whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
5. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips.
6. The dough will be thick and sticky.

• Use a medium cookie scoop (#40 scoop; about 1.5 Tablespoons) to spoon the cookie dough into a ball. (A trigger scoop is recommended due to the stickiness of the dough.) Place the cookies several inches apart onto a prepared baking sheet. Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
• Bake the banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes. Edges and bottoms will be lightly browned, but the tops may appear slightly dark/wet still. Do not over-bake. Leave cookies on tray for 5 minutes to finish setting up before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes and FAQ’s

Ripe vs Overripe Bananas: The darker your bananas, the darker these cookies will be. Just-ripe bananas will be lighter in color, whereas overripe bananas will be darker in color. Bananas that are just starting to form brown spots are at their peak time to use for this recipe.

Mash the bananas before mixing into the batter. While you can mash the bananas in the batter with the electric hand mixer, you might end up with some big chunks. I prefer to mash them with a fork before adding them with the other ingredients. This also helps prevent over-mixing the dough. Over-mixing would result in cookies that are more puffy and cakey.

Can I freeze the cookie dough? Yes! After forming the cookie dough balls, place them on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer for 1 hour. Then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Cookies may take a few extra minutes when baking from frozen.

Can I use instant or quick oats? No. Instant or quick oats act more like flour and will dry out the cookies. Only use old-fashioned rolled oats in this recipe.

If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!

*Originally published 11/29/12. Post updated April 2023.