On the day after Easter, my parents and I loaded our duffels and backpacks into the car, along with our two dogs and their beds, on Grandma’s front curb in sunny Southern California. Following hugs good-bye, we piled in, buckled our seat belts, and leaned out the windows to wave at Grandma as we drove down her steep street.
As our third visit in a month, we felt overly familiar with navigating the freeway exits heading out of town and the ocean views from I-5 as we sped towards Los Angeles. We pointed out our favorite landmarks to pass the time, like Disneyland and the Angel’s baseball stadium, all while hoping to avoid lunchtime bumper-to-bumper traffic.
When a few major freeways merged in LA County, we noticed a handful of overstuffed cars with painted back windshields, proudly proclaiming their occupants’ weekend at Coachella with neon lettering, squiggles, and hearts. We laughed, grateful that our Easter was much quieter at Grandma’s, and started a tally of how many Coachella cars we saw (including one VW van from the 1950’s!).
After finally pulling into our own driveway eight hours later and extracting ourselves, stretching, from the car, we began unloading in the garage to avoid the chilly rain drizzling down outside. Before grabbing anything else, I cautious carried two extremely spotty bananas that I had rescued that morning, just before Grandma tossed them into the trash, because…
I wanted to turn them into these Healthy Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies! Soft and chewy, plenty of sweet fruity flavor, and no butter, eggs, refined flour or sugar… My parents and their coworkers called these some of the best cookies they’ve ever had—and that was before they realized these cookies are only 89 calories!
Both of my parents celebrated by eating a second one! ?
These are the next installment in my series of healthy oatmeal cookies recipes. ← Have you tried any of those other recipes yet? Just like this one, they contain no butter, refined flour or sugar… But they’re just as soft and chewy and irresistible as traditional indulgent oatmeal cookies! I highly recommend checking out the classic oatmeal raisin, carrot cake, and apple pie flavors, after you try these cookies. They’re some of my most popular recipes!
To make these healthy cookies, you’ll start with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free!) and instant oats. Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats, and they’re sold in canisters right next to the regular old-fashioned oats at the grocery store.
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your cookies… Especially the oats! They soak up lots of moisture from the cookie dough, so too many oats will make your cookies taste cakey, rather than chewy.
For this reason, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. This is the one I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent! I use it every day and to make every recipe I share with you here on Amy’s Healthy Baking because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time.
The mashed banana plays three important roles in these oatmeal cookies. It provides fruity flavor (which I’m sure you guessed already!), replaces the eggs (so the cookie dough is completely safe to eat raw! if you’re tempted to sneak some every time you bake cookies like me…), and adds natural sweetness.
For the rest of the natural sweetness, you’ll mix in pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Make sure you use the real kind! Skip the pancake syrups and sugar-free syrups because they contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthy cookie recipe. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs, like this.
Finally, my mom’s favorite part… The fresh blueberries! She eats them every day in her bowl of cold cereal or as a quick afternoon snack. And with how many you’re adding to the cookie dough, every bite of cookie should contain a sweet, juicy berry!
Time for dessert! ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ cup (63g) mashed banana (about 1 rather small banana)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup (105g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, mashed banana, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the blueberries. Let the cookie dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 11-14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will also work, if measured like this.
Frozen and thawed blueberries may be substituted for the fresh, although they may tint the cookie dough a light gray color.
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, vegan, low fat, low calorie}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Strawberry Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♥ Blueberry Banana Bran Muffins
♥ Blueberry Buttermilk Banana Bread
♥ Chocolate Chip Blueberry Banana Muffins
♥ …and all of Amy’s other healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Hi Amy!
I’m wondering if it would still work if we swapped pumpkin for the banana? Thanks!
We really appreciate your interest in our recipe, Beth! We haven’t had a chance to try that exact substitution with these oatmeal cookies, but I think it should work. If the dough seems a bit dry, then just add a bit more pumpkin!
Another option would be to follow our pumpkin oatmeal cookies recipe and substitute ¾ cup of fresh blueberries for the chocolate chips. I thought I’d mention that as another alternative, just in case you’d like a little extra pumpkin spice flavor in your cookies!
We’d love to hear how your oatmeal cookies turn out if you try making them! 🙂
Thank you so much! I may just have to try both. 😉
I’m happy to help, Beth! I’d love to hear which one you prefer if you do decide to try both! 😉