Name: Soft Gluten Free Banana Bread Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 medium Overripe Banana (½ cup mashed, 120); 1 Egg; 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter (32g); 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (sugar-free recommended); 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 cup Instant or Rolled Oats (90g); ⅓ cup Coconut Flour (about 42g); ½ tsp Baking Soda; ½ tsp Cinnamon; ½ scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (about 2½ Tbsp, 15g); 1 Tbsp Almond Milk or Water

Soft and delicious Gluten Free Banana Bread Cookies made with rolled oats and coconut flour and topped with a sweet protein powder icing. Healthy, easy and the perfect breakfast cookies that taste just like a freshly baked banana bread.

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To let you in on something, this was actually sort of a forced recipe. Well I did have my eye on something like this after seeing Monique (aka Ambitious Kitchen)’s healthy banana bread cookies, but I had no intention of making these the time I did.

The only reason I made them was because the last of my bananas was just WAY overripe. Beyond just “spotty”. Like it was soft when I held it. So one more day left in the pantry meant it would need to go in the trash.

No way was I going to waste a good bad(?) banana!

Especially because the only reason I buy them in the first place fo baked goods :’)

Hard part here was waiting for the cookies to cool on the baking sheet coz they’re super soft when freshly baked.

Ingredients for Healthy Banana Bread Cookies

These healthy banana cookies are made with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry if you’re a gluten-free baker.

Banana: Use the ripe extremely spotty ones so they’re sweet enough that you don’t need to add any sweetener.
Egg: Use a flax egg for a Vegan version.
Peanut Butter: Creamy, creamy goodness here! Use the natural kind whose only ingredients are peanuts (and I guess salt for the salted version).
Maple Syrup: I would recommend a stevia sweetened or monk fruit sweetened one.
Vanilla Extract: Pure is the way to go!
Oatmeal: Rolled or Instant/Quick oats both work for these banana oat cookies, use the gluten-free ones if you need.
Coconut Flour: This keeps the banana bread cookies gluten free and also adds a hint of sweetness
Baking Soda
Cinnamon for that warmth

How to make Gluten Free Banana Bread Cookies

These easy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies can be made in just one bowl!

In a large bowl, mash the bananas with the back of a fork – get them completely mashed!
Add in the wet ingredients: egg, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla, and whisk
Process the rolled or instant oats in a food processor to make something that resembles oat flour. It doesn’t have to be super fine.
Add in all the dry ingredients to the bowl: oat flour, coconut flour, baking soda and cinnamon
Mix it all up – just stir it with a spoon, it will come together just fine.
Taste the cookie dough and see if you need to add more maple syrup for sweetness (in case your banana was not completely ripe)
Place the bowl in the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes
And meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F

To bake them:

Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper
Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and use your hands to roll them into balls
Place them on the baking sheet and press down to shape them as you like
Bake for 10 minutes until they’re golden brown

LET THEM COOL!

Yes, it will be tempting to bite into these cookies just fresh, but with this healthy ingredient list, the fresh baked banana cookies are really soft. Let them stay on the sheet for about 10 minutes to firm up.

Then let them cool – again – on a baking sheet.

Soft Banana Cookies with Whey Protein Powder Icing

To keep them healthy, and make them even better and healthier, I topped these soft baked banana cookies with icing made from protein powder.

You could go fancy, but this protein powder icing is extremely simple: Just stir together protein powder and milk or water.

You want to only add a little water so you get a thick and spreadable protein powder frosting that you can then use on smear on top of the cookies.

I used Quest Nutrition’s Vanilla Protein Powder, but if you use a diet compliant one, you can make a Vegan protein powder frosting too! I would recommend Orgain.

Tips for these Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

This one banana cookie recipe is super easy, but there are a few things you need to keep in

Use one extremely overripe banana to make these cookies so that it’s sweet enough that you don’t need to add as much sweetener.
Make sure the banana is completely mashed before you add everything else into the bowl. These are one bowl oatmeal cookies, so you want everything mixed in well.
Let the banana cookie dough chill in the fridge for a bit so that you can easily roll them into balls and shape them into cookies. Or even make banana cookie bars if that’s something you like!
If needed, grease your palms with a bit of coconut oil so the mix doesn’t stick to it. This might happen if you don’t have enough oatmeal in the cookie dough.
Shape the cookies on the baking sheet, because they won’t spread like normal ones.
Let the soft baked banana cookies cool on the baking sheet itself after taking them out of the oven so they have time firm up. They will be too delicate if you taken them off too soon.

Can you store Mashed Banana Oat Cookies?

These mashed banana oatmeal cookies are a great meal prep option for an on the go breakfast, snack or dessert.

Room temperature: Use this option only if haven’t added the protein frosting. The breakfast cookies should keep in an airtight container for about 2-3 days left out.

Fridge: With icing or no, you can keep these soft banana cookies in the refrigerator for even a week – airtight container again.

Freezer: Yes, these banana bread cookies are freezer friendly, so you can definitely freeze them. Let the cookies cool completely, and then place them in freezer-safe zipper bags. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or out at room temperature before eating. They should keep about 3 months.

What makes these PB Oatmeal Banana Cookies Healthy?

You’re going to love these breakfast cookies because they have the perfect balance of sweetness from the banana, chewiness from the oatmeal and peanut butter flavor without any added sugar or flour at all.

Low calories: With simple ingredients, these banana oat breakfast cookies are a lot lighter than the usual.

Sugar-free : These oatmeal cookies are naturally sweetened with the overripe bananas and a tiny bit of maple syrup, so they don’t need any added sugar.

Oil-free: With no added oil or butter in here, these cookies are only packed with healthy fats from the natural oils of the peanut butter.

Gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats and turn these banana oat cookies GF. They’re also flourless since they use coconut “flour” and have no oat flour either!

Dairy-free: No milk or butter here, so these make a good dairy free cookie!

Vegan: To make these banana bread cookies Vegan, just replace the egg with flax egg – 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons of water allowed to rest for 5 minutes.

Some more Mashed Banana Desserts to try: