A few years ago, we spent Christmas in Arizona with my grandparents. Mom flew out ahead of us to take care of a couple odds and ends around their house; then my brother and I arrived two days before Christmas.
Mom booked us on the very first flight of the day, so we set our alarms for 4 am to give us enough time to drive to the airport and pass through security. When we hopped in the car that morning, it was eerily peaceful with a totally pitch-black sky and virtually no cars on the road.
Since my grandparents live in a tiny town in southern Arizona, we flew into the smaller Tucson airport by way of a connection in Las Vegas. With an hour or two to spare during our layover, I found the nearest coffee shop in our terminal. I definitely needed help keeping my eyes open!
As I joined the queue of patrons desperately in need of extra caffeine, my gaze wandered to the display case of baked treats. Most of the breakfast options had already disappeared, leaving behind a variety of brownies, rice crispy treats, slices of pound cake, and cookies.
I paused as I spotted a huge oatmeal cookie full of festive cranberries, perfectly flavored for the holiday season. It looked so soft and chewy and tempting! My sleepy brain debated whether I should purchase that cookie while I slowly shuffled towards the register, but eventually, I realized the empty calories (and resulting sugar crash!) probably wouldn’t be worth it… So I grabbed a banana instead.
When I recently planned out my holiday travel schedule, memories from past Christmases floated through my mind, including that Las Vegas coffee shop experience. Cranberry oatmeal cookies… I thought. Bananas… Cranberry oatmeal cookies… Bananas…
And later that day, when I couldn’t shake those thoughts, I walked into my kitchen to make these Healthy Cranberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies! They’re just as soft and chewy as the ones looked in the airport coffee shop, but they’re made with no butter, refined flour, or sugar… And just 84 calories!
These are the next installment in my healthy oatmeal cookie recipe series! Have you tried any of the others yet? I’m assuming yes… Seeing as they’re the most popular recipes on my blog! I must not be the only oatmeal Cookie Monster out there. ? All of my oatmeal cookie recipes are made from entirely wholesome ingredients—yet still supremely tender and chewy—and readers say they don’t taste healthy at all! (After you make these, I highly recommend the carrot cake, apple pie, and traditional oatmeal raisin recipes!)
So just like the rest of my healthy oatmeal cookies, these start with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!) and instant oats. Instant oats are also called “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional rolled oats, and you can find them in canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store. (Psst… They have the same health benefits as rolled oats!)
It’s extremely important to measure the oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either ingredient will make your cookies taste dry or cakey—especially the oats! They act like sponges and soak up tons of moisture from your cookie dough.
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 with you here on my blog because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them!
You’ll sweeten your cookies with pure maple syrup (like this!). The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup!” Skip the sugar-free and pancake syrups. Those have refined and artificial ingredients, and they result in a different taste and texture in these cookies.
And of course, the two most important parts… The banana and cranberries! For the best results, use the ripest and spottiest banana you have! See the ones in my picture above? That’s the minimum amount of spots I recommend. I prefer mine when they’re a few days past that with more brown than yellow!
Then you’ll mix fresh cranberries into your cookie dough too. Remember how hard I worked to find these? They’re totally worth it! Fresh cranberries add such a bright pop of flavor!
Tip: To quickly chop them, I add mine to my food processor! Pulse them in there until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.
How yummy do those look? ? 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 oatmeal cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Cranberry 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
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ cup mashed banana
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- ¾ cup (83g) whole fresh cranberries, diced
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- To prepare the cookies, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, banana, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in the cranberries.
- 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 10-12 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.
The cranberries should be measured when whole, then diced! To quickly dice the cranberries, I add them to my food processor, and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.
Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, ½ cup of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted. To hydrated the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the cookie dough. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.
For answers to all other questions (including substitutions and tips), see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, vegan, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Cranberry Pecan Banana Bread
♡ Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
♡ Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
4-5 am is the most peaceful time of day!! That was always my favorite time in the bakery- working quickly to weigh and shape scone dough as the sky outside went from pitch black to barely dawn. And those cookies are like little Christmas jewels! Beautiful! <3
Amy,
Enjoy your information. We are interested in cookie recipes that have NO margarine, butter or
coconut oil. We prefer olive oil, canola,etc. Two questions come to mind. First, can we make that
substitution and will the results be different? Second, which of your recipes match for our preference?
Currently we are looking for good recipes for oatmeal and lemon cookies.
Thank you, we will look forward to your response.
Carolyn and Ed Landers. (edlanders@icloud.com)
Amy,
Enjoy your information. We are interested in cookie recipes that have NO margarine, butter or
coconut oil. We prefer olive oil, canola,etc. Two questions come to mind. First, can we make that
substitution and will the results be different? Second, which of your recipes match for our preference?
Currently we are looking for good recipes for oatmeal and lemon cookies.
Thank you, we will look forward to your response.
Carolyn and Ed Landers. (edlanders@icloud.com)
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Carolyn! Yes, you can easily substitute olive oil or canola oil in any recipe that I call for melted coconut oil. The results should turn out the same! The best way to find a specific recipe is to click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located at the top of my blog, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe of mine you try next!
Somehow, I totally KNEW you’d appreciate that early morning bit Andrea! 🙂 There was one or two quarters in college where I’d get up before 6 am to squeeze in a run before class. It was totally dark and so peaceful, especially when I could watch the run rise while I ran! 😉 And thank you for your sweet words about my cookies! You’re the best! ♡
Amy – I have a friend with a real “sweet tooth” and your recipes are well received. He just doesn’t know how healthy they really are. Do you have any yeast bread recipes? I like to add Greek feta cheese , chopped black olives and a little olive l to a low fat basic yeast bread recipe. Try it sometime. Thanks for all your great tips and recipes. Michelle Fallena, Detroit Michigan
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes, Michelle! It means so much to me that you’d share them with your friend — and that he doesn’t think they taste “healthy!” Thank you so much for sharing that with me! 🙂
The best way to find specific recipes (like my yeast-based recipes!) is to click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located at the top of my blog, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). 🙂 I love your idea of adding feta; that sounds fantastic!
Great Recipe!
But can you please suggest what changes should i do in recipe so that it will turn a bit more crispy.
Thank you, we will look forward to your response.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Shreya! This recipe was designed to be soft and chewy, so I’m not sure whether it’ll ever turn out crisp and crunchy. However, you can try baking the cookies longer so they turn out firmer and more towards crunchy! I’d recommend at least 5-6 additional minutes to start — or however long it takes to get your desired texture! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you end up trying and how that turns out!
I added 1/2 cup of brown sugar on top the maple syrup and glad i did this recipe is good but not sweet enough i also added grated orange peel and i think 1/2 cup of oats would be plenty 1 cup of oats makes the cookies too dry
These were great! Thanks.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Melinda! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!