Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Hi friends! How are you? Can I tempt you with a Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie and a glass of cold milk? I first made these cookies waaaay back in May 2013. At the time, I was a very dedicated food blogger who blogged every. single. day. Seriously – can you even imagine? Where on earth did I find the time? Anyways! Back then I was just finishing up my second year of college and about to head off on a 5-day trip to Zadar. Being the dedicated food blogger that I evidently was, I was anxious about not posting any recipes while I was gone. I had an abundance of bananas on my hands right before I left – but that’s an embarrassing story for another day – and so I developed five new recipes to be released during my holiday. The collective name for these recipes was, rather uncreatively, ‘Banana Week’.
I think back on Banana Week very fondly. It started with a banana cake, moved on to banana muffins, a banana bread, and then these bad boys. These cookies were day 4 of Banana Week, and they were perhaps the best received recipe of the bunch. Banana pun fully intended. But seriously, they’re good – chewy, soft in the centre, crispy on the edges, and speckled with chocolate chips.
WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THESE
Here’s why you should bake yourself up a batch of these cookies:
• the banana flavour is perfect, especially considering there’s only one banana in the recipe! I like to wait until my banana is super brown before using – that’s when it’s at its sweetest! The cookies aren’t overwhelmingly banana-y, just enough to be reminiscent of banana bread.
• oatmeal works so well in cookies! I feel like it’s more of an American thing, but it’s so good! It adds a small bit of chew to every bite and makes the cookies softer than a standard chocolate chip one.
• chocolate chips – need I say more? There’s a handful of chocolate chips in every single cookie and it makes them so moreish! Banana and chocolate are a matchmade in heaven.
• if you aren’t looking to make a large batch of cookies, this recipe halves super well. The only tricky part is using only half an egg. To do this: whisk the egg really well, and divide in two. We added the other half to scrambled eggs for breakfast so as not to waste it.
• these babies are slightly healthier than your average cookie. Banana and oats – it’s practically like eating porridge, right? But seriously, these cookies rely on the natural sweetness of the banana, so there’s not that much sugar involved. Winning!
HOW TO MAKE BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES:
You know the drill: step-by-step photos below!
As always, it all starts with our mise en place. Flour, bicarbonate of soda, butter, white + light brown sugar, vanilla extract, one egg, one banana, chocolate chips, and oats.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and the bicarbonate of soda. Leave it to the side for now, we’ll come back for it soon.
In a large bowl, use an electric whisk to beat together the sugars & the butter. I used a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and form it into a homogenous mass.
To the same bowl, we need to add the vanilla extract and the egg. The mixture will go much lighter in colour – that’s what we’re looking for!
Next, we add the mashed up banana. The mixture kind of separates slightly at this stage – that’s normal! Use a rubber spatula to lightly fold the flour mixture in, and the whole thing will come back together perfectly.
Lastly, add the oats and the chocolate chips! It’ll be moist and chunky and slightly loose.
Using your hands or an ice-cream scoop, divide the dough into 18 equal size balls and place them onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. It’ll feel messy and perhaps too goopy, but trust me. Flatten each ball slightly, and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and lightly crisped at the edges. I use Cloudy Kitchen’s cookie scooting technique to get perfectly round cookies and it works every! time! They firm up as they cool, so try to be patient.
And there we have it: Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies! They’re equally as great with a large glass of cold milk as they are with a cup of tea. I speak from experience!
Happy baking! xo
Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Cookies made healthier with a combination of banana and oats! A perfect breakfast cookie if ever there was one.
P R E P15MINUTES
C O O K15MINUTES
T O T A L30MINUTES
Yield: 18 COOKIES
Author: Vicki @ Passionate Baker
INGREDIENTS
160 g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tbsp salted butter, at room temperature
100 g light brown sugar
50 g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large banana, mashed – about 100g
180 g oats
150 g chocolate chips/chunks
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper & set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the flour with the bicarbonate of soda; whisk.
In a medium bowl beat together the butter and sugars with an electric whisk until light & fluffy. Once combined, beat in the vanilla & the egg, mixing well. Add in the mashed banana, mixing until well combined and homogenous.
Using a rubber spatula, gradually incorporate the dry mixture to the wet – being sure not to overmix. Add the oats and the chocolate chips, and stir to combine.
Divide the dough into 18 equal size pieces, roughly a 45g each. Use the palm of your hand to flatten each ball slightly, and place on the prepared tray.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden and crispy on the edges. Leave to cool on the tray for 5-minutes, before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.