Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Published 6/5/2024
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You are going to swoon over these Peanut Butter Banana Cookies with dark chocolate chunks. They’re made with rolled oats, mashed banana, creamy peanut butter, and chocolate!
Best Peanut Butter Banana Cookies!
Since developing our famous Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, I haven’t been able to keep my hands off different variations. They’re flourless, perfectly sweet, and made with two of my favorite things – peanut butter and oatmeal!
These Peanut Butter Banana Cookies use a similar base cookie (flourless oatmeal) as the Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, but these have the addition of mashed banana and chocolate chunks. Yes, please! Oh, and we salted the top because it’s just better.
Why make these?
- 100% Whole Grain: these peanut butter banana cookies are flourless and made with oatmeal.
- Lower in Sugar: we cut sugar out of this cookie and replaced it with mashed banana!
- Great for Breakfast: speaking from experience, these cookies are the perfect breakfast cookie.
- Kid-Friendly: the kids are going to absolutely love these.
What You Need
- Oatmeal: feel free to use either rolled oats or quick cooking oats. This is the base of your cookie and no other flour is used. PS: if you are gluten-free, just make sure to use a certified g/f product.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: we tested this recipe with both all-natural creamy peanut butter such as Smuckers All Natural and a more traditional creamy peanut butter such as JIF. Both work.
- Mashed Banana: you’ll need 1/2 cup of mashed banana which is about 1 medium banana.
- Light Brown Sugar: light brown sugar makes this cookie so soft and perfectly sweet.
- Butter: 1/2 a stick of melted butter is what you need!
- Egg: you need 1 egg for this peanut butter banana cookie recipe.
- Cinnamon: a little ground cinnamon adds such a delicious hint of warmth.
- Dark Chocolate Chunks: any kind of chocolate chip works for this!
oatmeal tip
We tested this recipe with both rolled oats and quick-cooking oats and it’s all about preference.
- Quick-cooking: quick-cooking oats will give you more of a traditional cookie texture.
- Rolled oats: rolled oats have more of a bite and are more defined.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
- Preheat: preheat oven to 350ºF and spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine Dough: combine all ingredients together in a large bowl and mix to form your cookie dough.
- Roll Balls: slightly wet your hands. Then, scoop out 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Lightly pat it down to create a cookie shape. Add more dark chocolate chunks to the top, as desired. Space out 6 cookies on each baking sheet.
- Bake: bake cookies at 350ºF for 11-14 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown.
- Let Cool: once the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle on coarse sea salt. Then, let cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring to a metal rack to finish cooling.
Top tips for perfect cookies
Roll & Pat: Make sure to roll the cookie dough in your palms and then slightly pat them down to create a cookie shape. They won’t expand a ton in the oven.
Bake until golden: All ovens are different and that’s a fact. The cook time should be anywhere between 11 and 14 minutes, but the real way to get perfectly baked peanut butter oatmeal cookies is by baking until they start to turn golden brown.
Let cool: Once your cookies are done baking, they will seem pretty soft and fragile. You MUST let them cool for at least 15 minutes to firm up before eating.
Variations
Add nuts: try adding in 1/2 cup of crushed peanuts to the cookie dough for a crunch.
Try almond butter: can’t do peanut butter? Try making this recipe with a drippy, creamy almond butter.
Skip the chocolate: trying to minimize sugar? Skip the dark chocolate chunks.
How to Store Peanut Butter Oatmeal Banana Cookies
Let peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies cool completely. Then, transfer them into an airtight container. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3-5 days.
Best Freezer Cookies
These cookies are my favorite to have in the freezer at all times! Let them cool completely. Then, transfer them into an airtight container or gallon-size plastic bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup mashed banana, ~1 medium banana
- 1/2 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
- pinch salt
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats, gluten-free if desired
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- optional: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
- optional: coarse sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Next, combine melted butter and brown sugar until there are no lumps. Then, add mashed banana, egg, and peanut butter, and mix again.
- Add salt, quick-cooking oats, baking soda, ground cinnamon and mix until everything is combined. Add in optional chocolate chips and mix again.
- Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes to set.
- Slightly wet your hands. Then, scoop 2 tablespoons of batter into your hands and form it into a ball. Place it onto the cookie sheet and slightly press down to form a cookie shape. The batter will feel a bit wet, but they will be so soft and chewy when done baking!
- Repeat the process above until you’ve fit 6-8 cookies on your baking sheet.
- Bake cookies at 350ºF for 11-14 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove cookies and let cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling for at least 20 minutes to firm up. Sprinkle on coarse sea salt and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Peanut butter: this recipe was tested with both all-natural peanut butter such as Smuckers and a classic creamy peanut butter such as JIF. Both work.
- Oats: you can use either rolled oats or quick-cooking. We prefer quick-cooking because it’s more similar to a classic cookie texture.
- Nutrition information does not include chocolate chunks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So I subbed almond butter for the peanut butter, demerara sugar for the light brown, and raisins for the dark chocolate, and my dad absolutely loved them. Seems like this recipe is pretty forgiving with substituting certain parts, so it leaves you open to do some interesting combinations. Great way to use up excess pantry ingredients.
I love Peanut, also love Butter and Banana and Cookies, really good combination!
I love cookie do in this way, tasted and good smelling, will make it this weekend
I really want to try these! They sound yummy. The nutrition info is missing though. Could you give the calories per cookie? Thanks!
Hi Denise! Sorry about that, the nutrition information is updated!