Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
These chewy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies are packed with protein and so easy to make! They’re perfect for breakfast, snacks, and anytime you need a little boost in your day.
Some snacks are to tide us over until the next meal. Other times we snack because we’re bored. (Guilty!) Then there are those snacks that are meant to give you the fuel you need to conquer a hike, workout, or maybe even that report you’ve been dreading writing for work. This peanut butter banana oatmeal cookie recipe is perfect for powering you through the day.
With a mix of peanut butter, flaxseeds, bananas and some of your favourite trail mix additions, these peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies really do the job. The oats make them fabulously chewy, and also gives them that stick-to-your-ribs staying power we love from a bowl of warm oatmeal (or vegan baked oats).
These cookies are filling enough for breakfast, but thanks to the natural sweetness of the banana and some maple syrup, they taste like a treat. Win, win.
Why You’ll Love This Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
- Multitasking cookies. Unlike chai sugar cookies and s’mores cookies, these aren’t just cookies that satisfy a sweet tooth! (Although yes, they do that too.) Have them for breakfast, snacks, or any time of day.
- Make them your own. Peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies are completely customisable so feel free switch up the ingredients! I really wanted a crunchy, salty, and sweet trail mix vibe, hence the dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, pepitas, and pretzels, but as long as you keep the proportions the same, you can add whatever you like.
- Easy to make. This is a simple dough to mix up and it makes drop cookies that need no chilling before baking. They’re easy as can be!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Old-fashioned oats – Be sure to use gluten-free certified oats if you want to ensure these peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies are gluten-free.
- Sea salt
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – These give the cookies warm, cozy flavour.
- Ground flaxseeds – A fantastic binder for vegan cookies, as we know from using flax eggs.
- Mashed bananas – Mashed banana also works as a vegan egg replacement. It adds sweetness and flavour to these cookies, too.
- Peanut butter – Or use another nut butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option.
- Maple syrup
- Mix-ins – I use vegan white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, chopped pretzels, and pepitas.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Make the dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Fold in the mix-ins.
- Form the cookies. Use 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie and pat them into shape on the prepared pan, leaving some space between them.
- Bake. Place the pan in the oven on the top rack and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Cool. Let the peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking mat, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for Success
- Pat the cookies firmly into shape. Use a bit of pressure to form the cookies so they hold together well.
- Don’t overbake. To maintain that chewy texture, you don’t want to over-bake these peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies. Keep an eye on them as they near the end of the baking time, especially if your oven tends to run hot.
- Press the pretzels in just after baking. If you want to add whole pretzel twists to the tops of the cookies like I did, press them in gently as soon as they come out of the oven, while the cookies are still soft and pliable.
More Mix-In Ideas
- Chocolate. Try semisweet chocolate chips or a chopped dark chocolate bar.
- Nuts. Add chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts for extra crunch and flavour.
- Dried fruit. Swap out the cranberries for raisins, cherries, or chopped dried apricots.
- Seeds. Sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or hemp seeds are great additions for extra protein and texture.
- Coconut. Shredded coconut or coconut flakes add a tropical twist to these peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies.
How to Store
Place the cooled peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to a week.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Set the peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the freezer; once they’re frozen through, transfer them into a zip-top bag or airtight container. They’ll keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to enjoy them, allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds for a warm treat.
More Healthy Snack Recipes
- Gingerbread Energy Bites
- Pumpkin Granola Recipe
- Sweet Potato Chips
- Protein Pudding
- No Bake Brownie Energy Bites
Enjoy friends! If you make this peanut butter banana oatmeal cookie recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free certified old fashioned oats or rolled quick oats
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
- 1/2 cup mashed bananas
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons organic peanut butter, microwaved for 30 seconds
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vegan white chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped pretzels, plus extra whole ones for the top
- 2 tablespoons pepitas/pumpkin seeds, or other seeds such as sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 ° F/ 165° C.
- Line a baking sheet with a SILPAT or other silicone baking mat.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add in the wet ingredients in order.
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula and stir together until together, stirring for about 30 seconds so as to incorporate everything but not over mix. The batter should be sticky and thick.
- Using a little less than 3 tablespoons for each cookie, form dough firmly into cookies, and place on baking mat. Leave a little space between each cookie (they won’t spread out while baking but will puff up just a little bit).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes on the top rack of your oven until tops are golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking mat then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I am going to keep the whole batch to myself! They look so GOOD!
Hi Jessica, these look amazing! I was looking for nutritional info but couldn’t find it here. Can you please tell me how many grams of protein per cookie/serving? Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try these.
Just made these on a whim, didn’t have banana so I used pureed pumpkin… AND OMG! I love them. Had to stop myself from eating all the batter. I also mixed Almond Butter + PB, and swapped CC from white CC. These will be on repeat!
Aww thank you so much Sarah! I’m so happy that you enjoyed, and that they worked with pumpkin too!!
So easy to make and so delicious!! Perfect for a little snacks on the go. I didn’t have pretzels but they were still so good!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Ella! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
These came together super easily. I was a little nervous at the consistency of the batter and whether or not they’d hold together after being baked, but they totally did. Not super sweet, and full of healthy ingredients–I’ll feel good having these on hand for after school snacks, if they make it past breakfast…
My daughter and I had so much fun baking these today– and they are delicious!
Really like these! We are not vegetarian nor vegan, but we look for delicious opportunities to reduce our sugar intake. These yummy trail mix cookies absolutely do the trick! I’ve made two batches so far, with the only change being the quick oats and the regular oats. The quick oats seem to have turned out slightly more dense, but definitely not in a bad way…I’ll just probably eat just one versus 3 of the quick oats version.
Also, my husband likes them as well.
Hi Jessica! At what point do the whole pretzels go on top of the cookies? Do you press them on before baking, or immediately after they come out of the oven? (I checked here and on the instagram comments for this, but couldn’t find the written instruction anywhere.) Also, do you have any storage tips to prevent the pretzels from going stale?
Thanks so much!
Hey Megan! Sorry about that, I’ll add it in! Right before baking! Once they bake they’ll get crisp so almost self preserved, but store in an airtight Tupperware container to keep them crisp! I hope you love them so much!!
Absolutely delicious! I want to eat every single one of them in one sitting!