Most Saturday mornings in October and November while in high school, my alarm rang well before the sun rose and the birds started chirping. As a part-time chaperone, Mom often woke up that early too, and together we headed over to my high school for that week’s band review.
Mom and I arrived earlier than most, and as the other kids arrived, they looked like ants trudging into the band room from the parking lot, emerging shortly after carrying their instruments to the front of the school where five large charter buses sat waiting. After loading the instruments into the luggage space underneath each bus, we climbed aboard and collapsed into the plush seats, ready to head out onto the freeway and drive to that day’s band review host school.
Once on board, one of the chaperones usually popped in an old VHS movie for us to watch on the small TV monitors hanging from the overhead bins. Almost half of the kids fell asleep as we drove, and the rest of us stared glassy-eyed out the window or at the Disney film playing in the background.
Those of us who couldn’t nap usually pulled out some sort of breakfast food to nibble on during the trip. Some students brought freezer waffles or bits of toast, carefully wrapped in paper towels, while others munched on muffins or donuts. I usually packed granola bars, like Quaker or Nutri-Grain or Nature Valley…
But I definitely would’ve preferred these Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies instead! They’re soft and chewy, just like traditional cookies (and my favorite granola bars!), but they contain no butter, eggs, refined flour or sugar… Yet plenty of chocolate and only 78 calories!
Basically a dream come true, for any chocoholic with a sweet tooth as big as mine!
This recipe is the next installment of my healthy oatmeal cookie series. ← Have you tried any of those others yet? Or my other healthy oatmeal breakfast cookie recipes? They’re some of the most popular recipes on my blog because they taste just like traditional cookies, even with no butter, refined flour or sugar! I guess I’m not the only Cookie Monster out there… ?
So for my fellow Cookie Monsters, you’ll need whole wheat flour (or gluten-free!) and instant oats to start! 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. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats, but they have the same flavor and health benefits!
It’s extremely important that you measure the oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. The oats act like little sponges and soak up moisture from your cookie dough, so if you add too many, your cookies will taste cakey or dry. As a chewy cookie lover, that gets a big thumbs down from me!
For this reason, I highly recommend a kitchen scale. ← That’s the one I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent! I use it to make every recipe that I share here with you because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time. (And by using it, I usually end up with fewer dishes to wash too—YAY!)
The mashed banana replaces the eggs, adds fruity flavor (totally obvious, I know…), and provides natural sweetness. Use the ripest, most speckled bananas you have! I prefer ones with more brown color than yellow. Those contain more natural sweetness, so you’ll only need to add 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup (like this!) to your cookie dough.
Because these are breakfast cookies, not dessert cookies, they only have half the natural sweetener as compared to my regular oatmeal cookie recipes… Which gives them a similar sweetness level to muffins. To make sure these cookies still turn out soft and chewy, you’ll add milk to the cookie dough as well. And of course, don’t forget the mini chocolate chips—the best part! These are my go-to kind!
How does that look for a healthy breakfast option?? If you said, “Pure bliss!” then you read my mind! ??? 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 Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Breakfast 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
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ cup (63g) mashed banana (about 1 rather small banana)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 5 tbsp (75mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 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 and milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips. 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. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 9-11 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 (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will also work, if measured like this.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookies FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
♥ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♥ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♥ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Healthy Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
♥ Healthy Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♥ The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
♥ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
I did the recipe exactly as written and they turned out great. The choc chips give it that little extra sweetness it needs. Thanks! I doubled my batch and froze half for lunches for back to school 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these breakfast cookies, Sabrina! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I love your idea of freeze half for back-to-school lunches. That’s such a great idea!