In February, my parents invited their close friends from college to come over for a small Super Bowl party. Although they attended a four-year university in southern California, everyone eventually migrated north to the suburbs outside of San Francisco, so they’re able to see each other multiple times throughout the year.
We started off with appetizers and snacks during the first half of the game, which Mom spread out across the dining room table. Chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, crudités and hummus, dried apple slices, M&Ms…
People tried to pace themselves and only take a little bit at a time to save room for the main course, but they never knew when to peel themselves away from the TV to grab a few more nibbles. During the exciting action of the game?… During the hilarious and super cute commercials?…
As a huge sports fan, I opted for the latter!
During the first few minutes of halftime, but before the performance, we headed back to the kitchen for the entrées. Dad had cooked steak, sausages, and pork tenderloin on the charcoal grill in the backyard, and he also prepared a quinoa salad and my special roasted Brussels sprouts inside.
Throughout the second half, people wandered over to the dessert table, which included a few store-bought cakes, these homemade truffles, these homemade chocolate graham crackers… And these healthy banana chocolate chip cookies! They’re perfectly soft and chewy (even with no butter, eggs, refined flour, or refined sugar!) and simple to make.
And the best part of our Super Bowl party? Everyone raved about all three of my recipes and asked to bring the leftovers home with them!
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Let’s cover the ingredients you’ll need to make these healthy banana chocolate chip cookies!
You’ll start with white whole wheat flour. It sounds like a paradox, doesn’t it? Normally white flour and whole wheat flour are two separate things! However, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour, which really lets the banana flavor and chewy texture shine! (Bonus: It has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour!)
Tip: I included a few gluten-free options in the Notes section of the recipe, if you’d like to make these healthy banana chocolate chip cookies gluten-free!
The mashed banana plays three important roles in these cookies: fruit flavor (I’m sure you guessed that already!), natural sweetness, and an egg replacer. That’s right — these cookies contain no eggs! I included a dairy-free option too… So if you use that, your healthy banana chocolate chip cookies will be vegan, egg-free, and dairy-free!
Tip: To make the best banana cookies, pick an extra spotty banana. I always use ones that are almost pure brown or black. Very brown bananas contain a stronger banana flavor and more natural sweetness than pure yellow ones. They also make your cookies softer!
Because the banana alone doesn’t provide quite enough sweetness for these cookies, you’ll also mix in coconut sugar. That’s exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts! But it does NOT actually taste like coconuts. It has a rich, caramel-like flavor, similar to brown sugar, and it pours like granulated sugar. Most grocery stores stock it near the regular sugar on the baking aisle, and you can also find it online.
Then for my favorite part… The mini chocolate chips! (I’m a huge chocoholic. That’s why I published my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!) I prefer these mini chips because they melt very well and taste really rich. Plus mini chocolate chips ensure that every bite of these cookies contains chocolate!
HOW TO MAKE BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Let’s go over how to make the best banana chocolate chip cookies! This recipe is easy and straightforward, so I just have a few quick tips.
Chill the cookie dough. This cookie dough is fairly sticky when you initially mix everything together. A brief trip to the refrigerator helps fix that! Chilling stiffens the cookie dough and makes it easier to work with. It’ll still be a bit sticky though, so use a spoon and spatula to shape it — not your hands!
Flatten the cookie dough. These cookies do not spread while baking, so flatten them before you put them in the oven! I like to use these mini spatulas to shape the cookie dough and smooth out the edges into nice round circles.
Do not overbake. The cookies are ready to come out of the oven when the centers still feel a bit soft and underdone. If you wait until the centers are firm, you’ll overbake the cookies — and they’ll turn out cakey, bready, or dry! But if you remove the baking sheet from the oven earlier, when the cookies still feel slightly underdone, they’ll turn out perfectly soft and chewy. (The heat from the warm baking sheet continues to cook the centers all the way through while you let the cookies rest before transferring them to a wire rack!)
Got milk? 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amys.healthy.baking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy banana chocolate chip cookies!
Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (67g) mashed banana (about 1 tiny banana – and see Notes!)
- 1 tbsp (15mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (64g) coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, vanilla, mashed banana, and milk. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a spoon and a spatula. Flatten the cookie dough to ⅜" thick. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Brownies
♡ Peanut Butter Banana Bread Brownies
♡ Strawberry Blueberry Banana Bread
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Banana Chocolate Chip Scones
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana recipes!
What shall I do if i want to entirely omit the added sugar (coconut sugar in this case)? Do I reduce the amount of milk or any other thing? 🙂
Thank you Amy.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Thireindar! The sugar actually affects the texture of the cookies, not just the sweetness level, so what would you like to use to sweeten the cookies instead of coconut sugar? 🙂
Do you think would work as the cookie crust of a fruit pizza? I want to make a healthier dessert for Father’s Day this weekend.
I’m so honored that you’d want to make one of my recipes for Father’s Day, Amy! I think if you double all of the ingredients and bake it in a 9″-round springform pan (that just makes it easier to remove and serve!) or a regular 9″-round lined with parchment paper, it should work. I’d suggest lowering the temperature to 325°F and baking for 14-17 minutes. It may take more time, but I don’t want you to overbake it! 🙂 I’d love to hear how that turns out if you try it!
Thank you for the reply. I am going to try it. I will let you know how it turns out.
It’s my pleasure, Amy! I’m always happy to help. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear how it goes!
I’ve made these cookies twice and both times they’ve had more of a cake consistency and aren’t as flat as yours? I am using normal flour though, would that make a difference? Any suggestions?
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Laura! How are you measuring the flour? Are you using a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe how you used the measuring cups? Also, are you measuring your mashed banana with a kitchen scale, measuring cups, or by “tiny bananas”? Once I know all of that information, I should have a better idea of why that’s happening and how to fix it! 🙂
Hey Amy! This recipe looks awesome. Just wondering if I’m able to use only bananas as a sweetener and leave the sugar out?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Amez! I do not recommend that. The sugar doesn’t just provide sweetness and flavor; it also ensures the texture of your cookies is correct (soft and chewy). Without the sugar, the cookie dough would be too dry, and you wouldn’t be able to incorporate all of the flour/dry ingredients. I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you decide to try making them! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! It’s so yummy! My little man asked for banana cookies for Thanksgiving. The end result- a thumbs up and mmmmm from my very picky little dude! They are delicious!
I’m so honored that you baked these cookies as part of your Thanksgiving celebration Letha! That means the world to me, especially that your picky eater loved them. Hearing that made my entire day!! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Can I use almond milk instead of nonfat milk?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Trish! I’ve actually answered this exact question in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!
I don’t know how I missed that!? Thank you! I’ll let you know how my family likes them.
It’s my pleasure Trish! And no worries — it happens ALL the time! 😉 I’m really excited to hear what your family thinks of these cookies!
Hi, how long can these cookies be stored?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Shirney! I’ve actually included that information already in the text directly beneath the recipe title in the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!
Hi Amy! I was too busy reading your interesting story and looking at the ingredients so I omitted the things u wrote about storage there lol. Yay I love this recipe! They are super good! Thanks for the recipe.
No worries whatsoever Shirney! I’m so honored that you’d read the story in my blog post. Many people skip right past that, so it really means the world to me that you’d take the time to read what I wrote. ♡ I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies too! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Hi Amy, I’m dying to try these cookies. Is there any way you can tell me how many carbs, sugar, cholesterol and sodium are in each cookie? Thank you so much in advance!
Lisa Powers
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lisa! The full nutrition information is actually included directly underneath the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Hi Amy,
Sorry to bother you on another of your recipes!
I’m just wondering how long the unbaked cookie dough lasts in the fridge? Most recipes say to store it in the fridge overnight before using, are you able to store this cookie dough for this long also? I was planning to cook them tomorrow and made the mistake of being too eager to make it and started it a little earlier than perhaps i should have done!
Thank you so much!
You’re not bothering me at all, Eloise! I’m honored that you’d want to make another one of my recipes! ♡
While an overnight chill can be beneficial for traditional cookie recipes (aka ones made with lots of butter and sugar!), it doesn’t work as well for my healthier recipes. This is because the longer you chill my recipes, the drier the cookie dough gets (making it harder and more frustrating to work with!) and the less the cookies spread (if at all… an overnight chill will often prevent them from spreading altogether!). For the best taste and texture, I recommend chilling the cookie dough for the amount of time specified in my recipes. 🙂
Since these cookies don’t spread at all (the water content in the mashed banana prevents them from spreading!), that second point isn’t a big issue, but your cookie dough will likely be much stiffer and break apart at the sides when you flatten it in Step 3 if you’ve chilled it overnight. You can try storing it inside of an airtight container to minimize how dry it gets, but you still may see some cracking when you flatten it. I don’t think it should have a big impact on the flavor though!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
I was just wondering if you can swap out the coconut sugar for honey or maple syrup mask a family member is allergic?
You’re so thoughtful to want to share these with your family member, Autumn! Unfortunately, honey and maple syrup won’t work as substitutes in this recipe. They’ll add too much moisture to the cookie dough, so it’ll have the consistency of muffin batter, which can make the cookies cakey instead of soft and chewy. However, if you have access to maple sugar (the granulated kind!), then that would work. If you don’t, then I recommend brown sugar instead, like I mentioned in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉
I’d love to hear what you think of these banana cookies if you try making them!